An American Werewolf at the SGC
by jakefanatic
Summary: Sam's father has been bitten by a werewolf! Can Daniel, Teal'c, and Van Helsing find the cure before the full moon? Meanwhile, at the SGC can Jack and Sam, along with Hammond and Fraiser keep a leash on Jacob?
1. Chapter One

Author's Notes: Language and Violence; ' ' denotes dialogue between Jacob and Selmak; " " denotes speaking dialogue; _italics _denotes the symbiote is speaking or a phone conversation

minor edit 11/16

* * *

"_Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night may become a wolf when the wolf bane blooms and the autumn moon is bright." – **The Wolfman (1941)**_

* * *

2200 HOURS, OCTOBER 21, TEN DAYS UNTIL A FULL MOON

* * *

Jacob still thought they were beautiful to look at. Yes, even with the knowledge of what was going on amongst the stars beyond the bright moon, they were still quite beautiful.

'Ah but the view from your world is not nearly as breath taking as from Andora, with it's rings and two moons,' Selmak commented.

'I agree but there's nothing like seeing the familiar star formations in the night sky and knowing you're home.'

The sound of a thick branch cracking distracted Jacob's attention from the stars.

"Sam?" he called quickly dropping his hand to his side hiding the lit cigarette from anyone approaching.

No reply, only the quiet of the wilderness. A gentle breeze rustled the nearby trees.

'Must have been an animal,' Jacob told Selmak as he took a long drag then exhaled the smoke out slowing.

'Why would you think it was Samantha? Feeling guilty about smoking those disgusting nicotine sticks?' she joked at him.

'No. I know George doesn't always listen to my requests when it comes to Sam and her job.'

'You were dying that one time! For what it's worth, he did the right thing! We are in no danger now, so he will not recall her...it would be unnecessary.'

'You're right,' he said exhaling smoke out his nose.

'I still wish you wouldn't smoke those things,' Selmak protested.

'I know. I quit a long time ago but every now and then I crave one.'

'Please stop?' she asked in that soft and affectionate voice of hers.

'Alright,' Jacob sighed, dropping the cigarette and smashing it out with his combat boot. 'I can't resist you when you use that sugar coated voice on me.'

Jacob felt her appreciation instantly through their bond. Usually accompanied by a warm tingly sensation at the back of his neck when she was happy.

'Well, lady, are you rea...'

Another branch snapped. Jacob narrowed his eyes and searched the nearby tree line. Only he couldn't see beyond it, too many dark shadows caused by the moonlight.

'Sel, do you see anything?' he asked hearing something moving...something big.

'No, perhaps we should leave.'

'Scared? It's probably just a deer.'

'Jacob Carter! I have come face to face with the worst atrocities imaginable, one little deer does not fright me!'

'It could be a bear,' he chuckled taking pleasure in ruffling her little flippers.

'Does a bear growl like that?'

'No...Selmak, do you remember me telling you I used to be the fastest kid at the fifty yard dash?'

'Want to see how fast you are now?'

"Oh Shit!" Jacob exclaimed seeing something huge beginning to emerge from the shadows.

Jacob wasn't planning on hanging around long enough to find out what it was. With a little added boost of adrenaline supplied by Selmak, he hightailed out of there. Just one problem, whatever it was, was faster and Jacob didn't get very far before he was tackled from the side.

All the air escaped from his lungs in a big whoosh when he landed hard on the ground. Thanks to Selmak he was able to recover quickly, managing to get on his hands and knees. However, when he tried to crawl away something grabbed his foot yanking him backwards.

Pinned on his back Jacob was at the mercy of the beast. He thrashed violently at the silhouetted figure above him. Hearing his clothing rip and a sudden burning sensation across his chest he fought even harder. The coppery smell of his blood quickly filled the air enticing the creature even more. The pain was increasing and he was having a hard time figuring out if the creature was making the grunting noises or if he was.

In pure desperation, knowing he would last much longer, Jacob managed to grab hold of the thing. The fur was long enough to fill his hand and he tried the hold the creature at bay. A low angry growl sounded with hot breath hitting Jacob's face. Darkness still shrouded its features preventing him from seeing what kind of animal it was. However, he did manage to see the white long fangs just before they streaked down and sank deep into his shoulder.

Jacob involuntarily cried out at the same moment a gunshot echoed through the air. The sharp teeth ripped through his flesh as they jerked away. And suddenly he was free; the creature was lying motionless on the ground beside him.

"GENERAL CARTER!" Jones called from the distance making Jacob act quickly.

Feeling a little woozy Jacob somehow managed to climb to his feet clutching his shoulder. Another shot was sounded. Bark from a nearby tree exploded above his head. Relinquishing control to Selmak, he allowed her to get them out of there, knowing she was stronger even when his body was injured.

* * *

Special Forces Airman Thomas Jones, Tommy to his wife and closest friends, stood smiling. It had been a long shift and he still had another hour to go before he would be home with his wife. But that's not why he was smiling. 

He was smiling because he actually had a conversation with a General without getting yelled at or ordered around. And it wasn't just any General. It was General Jacob Carter, Earth's liaison to the Tok'ra and a Tok'ra himself. The first time Tommy ever met a Tok'ra.

So, of course Tommy had been extremely nervous when the General first approached him. After all, he is just an Airman, a grunt, assigned to patrol the Southside 'backdoor' to Cheyenne Mountain while the General has the well known reputation for eating Airman for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Only General Carter had quickly put Tommy at ease when he asked for a cigarette. Then he was just a regular guy bumming a smoke from a fellow soldier. He even cracked a joke about the Army that made Tommy laugh so hard he thought he was going to bust his gut.

Tommy had been more than happy to oblige, even letting the General have his lighter. He informed the man where there was a good spot to watch the stars while having a smoke.

But Airman Jones' smile quickly faded the moment he heard the General's cry and the gunshot. He immediately headed for the trail he had pointed out minutes ago.

"GENERAL CARTER!"

There was another shot and Jones picked up his pace. Not far up the trail General Carter came stumbling towards him.

"General...oh my God!" he exclaimed seeing all the blood.

"_We must get to the infirmary, now!_"

Jones didn't hesitate even when he heard the strange voice emanating from General Carter. First time he ever heard a Tok'ra speak too.

* * *

"Blast!" the man cursed to himself when his second shot missed. 

His attempt to stay down wind of the creature slowed his progress in tracking it. As a result he had been too late in preventing the attack and was rushed when taking aim hitting only one of two targets. To make matters the second target was surprisingly quick and ducked into the trees for cover, thus escaping before being dealt with.

Pursuit was now impossible. There was another soldier too close for the man to risk exposure. And he wasn't willing to kill an innocent man to achieve his goal of breaking the cycle.

There were other ways. For instance he knew the name of the victim, the next target, General Carter. And he knew that there would not be too many General Carters based at the Cheyenne Mountain military facility. After a phone call he would obtain the necessary information to deal with this General Carter.

For now he had a mess to clean up. Soon there would be more soldiers sent to investigate the area. He was not planning on being around for that.

* * *

"Finally!" Janet sighed. 

It was just after ten at night. The good doctor had been pulling a double shift and she finally was able to relax. Her intention, to take a twenty-minute catnap in her office before returning to the infirmary. If any emergencies occurred the nurses knew where to find her.

Again she sighed. She stretched out her short legs, relaxing into the couch. With a small smile of contentment she closed her eyes.

"_Dr. Fraiser to the infirmary!_" sounded over the intercom just moments after she closed her eyes.

With a loud groan she got up. The page came again.

"They had better be near death when I get there!" she snapped yanking her lab coat off the wall hook on the way out the door.

Dr. Fraiser wasn't really hoping the situation was that grim. She always looked on the brighter side of things. But she was actually over due for a caffeine fix and was feeling a little testy. This plus the fact that she was already known for being a firecracker who could easily chew up and spit out Generals when appropriate made her a formidable woman despite her size.

Upon seeing the thickly smeared blood trail into the infirmary, Dr. Fraiser knew this emergency was life threatening. Time to focus that spunky nature of hers to save a life, something she did exceeding well too. Rushing in she found Nurse Jennings assisting two SF soldiers as they lifted a limp body onto a gurney.

"It's General Carter, ma'am!" the nurse informed Fraiser immediately.

"Oh my God! What happened?"

"He was attacked!" Jones blurted out breathlessly while managing to keep his hand on Carter's neck. "He was alone smoking a cigarette! He was gone for only a few minutes!"

Janet was momentarily surprised about Sam's father smoking a cigarette. He didn't seem the type. But then there was a lot about Sam's father Janet didn't know about and Sam wasn't forth coming with any details.

"Relax Airman, let me see that wound," she calmly order him and turned to the nurse. "Get me a hemostat."

Slowly the Airman removed his hand to reveal that the soft skin tissue was torn and the neck artery exposed.

"Get me that hemostat and sutures! Then get a blood transfusion ready! Ok...Airman..."

"Jones, Ma'am."

"Ok, Jones. I need you to keep pressure on artery or he could bleed to death."

"Understood Ma'am."

Janet turned to the other SF who was standing nearby, "Report to the CO on duty! I think General Hammond may also still be here...go!"

Quickly, Janet cut and removed the shredded clothing to reveal the deep lacerations across Carter's chest. There were defensive scratches on his arms. None of the lacerations were too serious but would need to be tended to very soon. Turning her attention to General Carter's neck she noticed what looked like teeth marks in his shoulder near his neck.

"What animal did this?"

"I didn't see what attacked him, ma'am. The symbiote ordered me to bring him to the infirmary."

"I need to repair this artery first before the General bleeds to death. Sam would never forgive me if her father died on my watch."

"Why isn't the symbiote helping?" Jones demanded nervously.

"I'm sure Selmak's doing what he can but sometimes even a symbiote needs a little help," Janet smiled calmly. "Ok, let's get to work then!"

* * *

Looking around his office, General Hammond saw that everything was in order so he flicked the light off. Last radio contact with SG-1 was an hour ago. All indications were that they were doing well during their exploration of P3X-49. 

The team had been gone for four hours now and were not scheduled to return until 0600 Earth time, at the SGC, which would be an hour from dusk on P3X-49. And normally when teams were gone over night, Hammond was comfortable enough to leave the base in charge of the night commander, in this case it was Colonel McBride.

However, Hammond hadn't left yet because his good friend Jacob Carter arrived half an hour after his daughter's team departed and one week a head of schedule. The two had been talking about the old days over dinner in the commissary for the past couple of hours before Hammond pleaded that he needed to get home and sleep.

And just when Hammond thought it was the end of a good day it turned bad. He had just stepped into the elevator when Colonel McBride called to him.

"What is it Colonel?" he asked hitting the open button on the elevator control panel as the Colonel came running down the tunnel.

"Sir, General Carter was attacked by some kind of animal!"

"What?" Hammond asked immediately exiting the elevator then followed McBride down the tunnel.

"I've sent a unit out to investigate, sir. Airman Jones didn't see what kind of animal it was. Sir..."

"What is it?" he asked when McBride hesitated.

"Sir, the General has lost a lot of blood. Dr. Fraiser's working on him right now."

"How bad is it?"

"I don't know sir. I'm sorry. I know the General is a good friend of yours. I was anxious to know how he was before I informed you of his condition but the Doctor ordered me out of the infirmary saying I was being a nuisance."

"Thank you son but you should know better than to ever get in Dr. Fraiser's way."

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir."

"Why don't you find out if the investigation has turned up anything yet. I'll be in the infirmary."

"Understood, sir!" the Colonel saluted then rushed off.

When Hammond rounded the corner he saw just how bad Jacob had been hurt. The trail of blood led from the southern elevator all the way into the infirmary. A crew had only just arrived to clean it up.

Inside the infirmary Hammond found Dr. Fraiser tending to Jacob while the nurse was tending to a woozy Airman, who quickly straightened up and headed for Hammond. The young man's hands still had blood on them, as did his uniform.

"Sir, I'm sorry sir!" the Airman said standing at attention.

"Relax son."

"Sir, I take full responsibility for General Carter's injuries."

"That won't be necessary Airman," Hammond smiled.

"Sir? But he was out of my sight for a few minutes."

"Airman, if General Carter wanted to be alone then no one on this planet or any other would be able to change his mind. Now, why don't you get cleaned up son and go home."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," Jones saluted.

Hammond waited for the Airman to leave before he slowly approached Dr. Fraiser.

"It's alright General," she smiled glancing up. "He's going to be fine. Lost a couple of pints of blood. The transfusion seems to have helped Selmak. He's already taking care of the minor scratches."

"That's good news, doctor," Hammond sighed. "When will Jacob be conscious?"

"Difficult to say, a few minutes, maybe an hour. Depends on how quickly Selmak makes the repairs. I've done all I could do there's no sense in you waiting around until he wakes. Is there a message you want me to leave with General Carter?"

Hammond thought about it for a moment then chuckled before telling the doctor.

* * *

Colonel McBride waited as a young Lieutenant was emerging from the trail. 

"Anything to report?"

"No, sir. We found where the attack happened but no indications as to what animal did it. There isn't even any footprints to follow."

"That's strange."

"Yes, sir. Perhaps in daylight we can discover more."

"Good idea. In the mean time, no one is to be outside alone...that includes Generals."

"Understood sir."

* * *

It had taken a while, but Selmak finally felt Jacob's breathing and heart rate return to a normal state. He was no longer losing blood and Dr. Fraiser's assessment was correct, the transfusion helped tremendously. Healing the injuries would take a few hours, if Jacob remained still. 

Her host had a bad habit of being up around too soon after in injury making her job difficult. The other Tok'ra were still having to explain to Jacob why it was important to allow the symbiote to do its job. Selmak knew they were wasting their breath, she had given up long ago explaining it to her host. He knew better, he was just being stubborn.

Yet Jacob was a fighter and wasn't one for lying around doing nothing. Neither was she for that matter. If the injury was so severe Jacob knew to allow Selmak to do her job. He may be stubborn but he wasn't an idiot.

That was her host, Jacob Carter the pain in the ass, smart mouth, and stubborn man who didn't take any crap from anyone, Goa'uld or Tok'ra. Selmak found it rather amusing that the High Council were now eager to send Jacob and her on a mission because of her hosts personality. After their blending the Council were initially reluctant to let their oldest and wisest Tok'ra out of their sight. But Selmak let Jacob shoot his mouth off knowing it would get her out of the tunnels.

The two have had quite a few adventures on their own, both loving every minute of it even if they were running for their lives. Today's adventure was no different than any others. Jacob gets hurt; Selmak heals his injuries, only this time with a little help from Dr. Fraiser. Fraiser's help really wasn't that necessary. In time Selmak could have healed all of Jacob's injuries on her own.

However, she was having trouble identifying the virus in their blood streams. It didn't seem to be harming either of them. In fact, Selmak felt great deciding that maybe it was a new drug Dr. Fraiser came up with to make symbiotes feel good. She would have to ask Dr. Fraiser when they were awake. Or rather, she would have Jacob ask for her since he did most of the talking while on Earth.

* * *

Jacob awoke with the familiar scent of crappy commissary coffee filling his nose. Yes it tasted like shit but it was coffee. Maybe after their incident tonight, Selmak would allow him one cup. Doubtful, but he could hope. Opening his eyes, he saw Dr. Fraiser sipping slowly from her cup while looking over his chart. 

"Do you take pleasure in tormenting me Doctor?" he asked.

"I'm sorry?"

"The coffee, Selmak won't allow me to drink it."

"Your symbiote won't allow you to drink coffee!" she said trying not to laugh.

"Nope. But that doesn't mean I don't have cravings for it."

"Apparently coffee's not your only craving," she smiled putting the cup down out of his sight. "Does Sam know you smoke?"

"No, I never smoked in front of her or her brother. I actually had quit a long time ago. But every so often I feel the need for a cigarette."

"I suspect you won't be craving one for awhile now."

"I don't know about that! But I might be more selective about where I smoke. And by the way, Selmak say thanks for saving us. With your help, he'll be able to heal my injuries much faster. I thank you too."

'He...why...'

'Calm down Sel! You know I can't go telling everyone you're a girl symbiote! They'll think I'm nuts!'

'You owe me then!'

'Of course...some hot chocolate?'

'I'll get back to you on that one!'

"General?"

"Oh, sorry. Selmak and I were talking. It's still difficult to hold two conversations at once. I don't know if I'll ever get used to it."

Jacob looked down at the bandages across his chest he smiled, "What is it with women Doctors always ripping my shirt off?"

"Watch it General Carter, I have a collection of very big needles and I'm not afraid stick them just to quiet mouthy Generals or Colonels!"

"I only say that because the Doctor who diagnosed my lymphoma made me strip down to my boxers every time I visited her office. Come to think of it, she would always jab me with a big needle too! Right in the ass!"

The doctor laughed uncontrollably. Jacob found her quite pleasant when she laughed. Or maybe it was whatever drugs she was giving him. Either way, he was feeling really good at the moment.

'Jacob, ask her?'

"Did you inject me with any drugs? Selmak wants to know."

"I gave you a tetanus shot for the bite, just in case. Why?"

"Whatever it was, it makes Selmak feel good. And when Selmak feels good, I feel good."

"Do you mind if I check the progress of your injuries?"

"No, I don't mind," he smiled.

Jacob allowed her to check each of his arms. The scratches were completely gone. Then when she gently lifted one of the bandages his muscles retracted and he was trying to suppress a smile.

"General, are you ticklish?"

"No," he lied keeping a straight face.

"_Yes, he is Dr. Fraiser_," Selmak said after quickly taking over. "_Jacob is very t..."_

"Don't listen to Selmak Doc!" Jacob interrupted taking control of his body back from Selmak. 'That was dirty, Selmak!'

'That was for earlier...he...hah! I feel you blushing' 

'Quiet!' he snapped sending her a mental glare.

"I think I'll let you both rest now," Dr. Fraiser said trying to suppress a smile. "These are only scratches now."

"It will be a couple of more hours for the rest to heal."

"I'll leave you two alone. Oh, General Hammond said to stay out of trouble...for once in your life or at least until he returns in the morning."

"Me, trouble? What trouble could I possible get in, I'm a teddy bear!" he smiled devilishly.

"I've heard that one before."

"Don't worry doc, Selmak and I will be on our best behavior! Besides, if I start moving around too soon, **he** gets cranky!"

Janet walked away laughing leaving him alone.

'That's twice in less than five minutes...Jacob!'

'Calm down lady...I'll add marshmallows to the hot chocolate!'

'I like marshmallows.'

'I know.'

* * *

"Carl...it's Gabriel." 

"_Did you get our man?_"

"Finally, the bastard had me chasing him all over this bloody country."

"_As long as he's been neutralized the Order will be satisfied_."

"Not quite yet. We've got a new problem. Seems Larry couldn't resist a little snack a long the way. He infected another just before I extinguished his life."

"_Why didn't you_..."

"I tried but my aim went array and the victim escaped. But I did manage to get a name...General Carter. I assume his based at Cheyenne Mountain here in Colorado Springs."

"_Ok...give me a minute_..."

Gabriel glanced in the mirrors as he continued waiting for Carl. Now would not be a good time to be pulled over by the local authorities, not with a corpse covered in the cargo hold of his SUV.

"_Ah...here it is. Cheyenne Mountain, is an Airforce facility used for doing research on deep space telemetry radar_."

"You're joking!"

"_I never joke_."

"Well, it's run by the Airforce but they must be doing something top secret with all the Special Forces they have guarding the place. What else do you have?"

"_It's run by General George Hammond...let's see his second in command a Colonel Jack O'Neill...hmmm_..."

"What?"

"_No mention of a General Carter. However, there is a Major Samantha Carter. They could be related_."

"Find out."

"_Yes...oh...that's odd?_"

"What now?"

"_Your friend Dr. Daniel Jackson. He is at the facility too_."

"Odd indeed. What would the Airforce want with an archeologist? And what does he have to do with deep space telemetry radar?"

"_Your intuitions may be right; there may be more going on_."

"Right, dig a little deeper see what else you can learn. Find out about Major Carter, see if the General is related. And give me Dr. Jackson address. I shall have to pay him a visit. Oh...and Carl, don't tell the Order anything yet."

"_Understood, I'll call you as soon as I have something_."

"Thanks."


	2. Chapter Two

Authors notes: Language and violence; _italics _denotes radio chatter; ' ' internal thoughts

* * *

Daniel Jackson was gently brushing the thin layer of dirt from the marble hoping to reveal inscriptions of some kind or something. He was also trying to figure out why Jack volunteered the team for this mission. Especially since it was the kind of mission Jack never seemed too interested in.

It was purely an exploration mission, which was the norm. However, they were exploring a Greek like temple located nearly **six** miles from the Stargate. And the temple had no indications it harbored technologies or weapons to aid in their fight against the Goa'uld. The distance alone normally would have discouraged the Colonel from accepting the mission; Jack rarely would tread more than a mile from the gate unless there was good reason. There was no reason here and thus no apparent motivation for the Colonel.

Plus their departure was during the evening on Earth, a third reason why the Colonel usually wouldn't volunteer his team. This particular night, the Chicago Blackhawks were playing on ESPN during prime time. The Colonel almost never missed his favorite teams televised games even delaying turning in his reports to General Hammond until the following morning just so he could catch the opening face off.

Regardless, whether Daniel discovered Colonel O'Neill's agenda or not, Daniel was coming to P3X-49 even if he traveled with another SG team. This mission was a good reprieve from all their near death encounters with the System Lords. For this was what Daniel truly loved, next to saving the Earth, it was his job or used to be his job. After all, he still is an archeologist.

Looking over towards Jack, Daniel saw he was sitting on a rock looking quite bored, as Daniel had expected. Teal'c was standing near the Colonel. Daniel couldn't tell if Teal'c was bored or not. The Jaffa kept the same emotionless face even if the possibility of death was imminent.

Glancing around he found Sam with one of her electronic gizmos searching for a power source, incase the search probe missed something. Most of the time he understood what was coming out of her mouth, other times he was like Jack, ignorant or oblivious.

"Hello!" Daniel said out loud to himself when he fixed his attention back on what he was attempting to do.

His blue eyes grew excited at his discovery and he quickly worked to uncover the rest of the carving.

* * *

By the way Daniel was excitedly moving in front of the marble door or wall, Jack knew the doctor discovered something. Either that or the man had to go take to the bathroom really bad. Whatever it was, it was time to check on the archeologist's progress and Jack did need to stretch his legs.

"Dr. Jackson, appears to have discovered something," Teal'c observed too as Jack was stretching his back.

"Looks that way. Let's go see what it is," Jack sighed casually wiping the dirt off his butt.

The two men walked in silence down the road towards the ruins. Major Carter joined them along the way. Jack smiled to himself. The team was so in sync with each other it was always reassuring. Now if he could understand half the things coming out of Daniel's mouth and at least a quarter of what was coming out of Major Carter's Jack would be a happy camper.

Oh they did have their differences, not just the obvious ones. There were times Jack felt he and Daniel would come to blows over the difference in their beliefs. Jack with his military background and Daniel with his philosophical background led to several occasions when the two clashed. Jack never clashed with Teal'c, well almost never. And Carter, well she would follow his orders if they were reasonable but would never hesitated to state her opinion.

But the differences were to be expected. The team was more like a family and sibling squabbles were to be expected. While a family had its squabbles they also rejoiced in each other's happiness. So when Daniel turned and motioned them to hurry, Jack kept his leisurely pace, Daniel was excited enough for the both of them. Teal'c and Carter did move a little faster. It was a Colonel's prerogative to move as fast or slow as he deemed necessary, unless he was running for his life.

"It's Themis!"

"And he is?" Jack asked.

"She. According to Greek mythology, Themis was one of the Titans..."

"Tennessee?" Jack asked raising an eyebrow and removing his sunglasses.

"No, the Titans were a group of elder god who were ruled by Cronos. In Greek Mythology, it was said his own son Zeus, one of the first Olympians, de-throned him. While many of the Titans sided with Cronos against Zeus, Themis did not. She was the goddess of justice and order. And the second wife of Zeus giving birth to the Seasons and the Fates."

* * *

Sam was having difficulty suppressing a smile while Daniel was attempting to give the Colonel a brief lesson in Greek Mythology 101. Only with Daniel the lesson wasn't brief enough for the Colonel. Any moment she was expecting to see the Colonel's eyes glaze over then nothing would be setting in.

They usually did just that the second she tried explaining anything technical. Sometimes she wondered how he even made Colonel. Other times, it was quite obvious by his command skills and that he was just pretending to be naïve.

"Didn't she have something to do with the oracle at Delphi?" Sam asked thinking back to her own brief Greek history lesson from her past.

"Yes, it's said she had prophetic powers," Daniel answered. "She's mainly responsible for laws and ordinances. Her symbol is often associated with the balance of justice like this carving."

"What does the sword represent? Executions?" Jack asked.

"Mostly likely it represents the 'force of law'."

"So executions."

"Maybe," Daniel exasperated.

Sam saw the Colonel smile, happy with himself. At least his eyes hadn't glazed over...yet.

"Have you heard of her Teal'c?" she asked noticing the Jaffa was being quiet, even for Teal'c.

"No, I have not. She must have been before my time."

"Maybe she fought against Cronos. She could possibly be an ally," Daniel said working to reveal the outline of a door. "Or she could possibly be dead."

"Maybe the Tok'ra know about her," Sam suggested. "Dad's dropping by for a visit in a week. We could ask him and Selmak."

"Maybe she is a Tok'ra. I mean you never know," Daniel continued to explain. "Think about it, she's the goddess of justice and order, doesn't sound like your typical System Lord."

"So, it's settle. We ask Jake and his little snake. Are we done here?" Jack asked.

Sam groaned to herself. She hated it every time he used the term snake when referring to the symbiotes, especially the Tok'ra. And Sam hated it most when he referred to Selmak as a snake. Selmak was responsible for saving her father's life and for bringing him back into Sam's life. Of course, the Colonel was a bad influence on her father teaching him the snake term in reference to symbiotes before he blended with Selmak. This resulted in her father referring to Selmak as a snake too. But Sam learned her father was using it in terms of affection which didn't seem to bother Selmak.

"We have to see what's on the other side of the door! Think of what could inside."

"I'm thinking but I keep coming up nothing," Jack replied.

"At least, let me look around until we're scheduled to leave," Daniel pleaded.

"I still haven't finished my scan sir," Sam suggested helping Daniel's case.

"Very well. As long as Themes..."

"Themis." Daniel corrected, and again Sam had to suppress a smile again.

"Whatever, as long you're sure she isn't planning on dropping by to do some spring cleaning, we can stay."

"This structure appears to have been deserted for many centuries O'Neill," Teal'c added. "I believe we are safe."

"That's usually when the rug gets pulled out from beneath you."

"Doing some of your own foretelling, sir?" Sam asked smiling.

"No, just speaking from experience," he frowned as he turned to walk away.

* * *

The door was heavy but together, Teal'c and Dr. Jackson managed to open it enough for a person to fit through the gap. After equipping themselves with flashlights, Teal'c allowed his friend to enter the structure first. It was Dr. Jackson's area of expertise, his discovery, and there was no danger.

"So, Teal'c, do you know why Jack took this mission?"

"Was it not your wish to travel to this planet?" Teal'c countered.

"Yes it was. But the fact that Jack had the team come to this particular planet when we did, still leaves me puzzled."

"Perhaps, he did not wish for the team to be split apart."

"He was worried about me?" Daniel asked with a small smile on his face, stopping near a small standing structure in the center of a large room.

"I did not say that."

"No, of course not."

Teal'c recognized the small structure and immediately touched the small round crystal in the center. Instantly the torches on each of the four walls lit and the room was illuminated.

"It's a library!" Daniel exclaimed putting his flashlight away rushing to one of the walls.

The ground beneath them suddenly shook and dust fell from the high ceiling. Immediately followed by the Colonel's voice over their radios. There was too much static interference to hear exactly what he was saying.

"It would be prudent to leave Daniel Jackson."

Again the ground shook but this time there was the distinct noise of a death glide flying over head.

"I think you're right!" Daniel agreed.

With his staff weapon ready, Teal'c led the way out. He quickly spotted Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter. They had taken cover by the nearby by large boulder. Apparently they had been cut off from making it to the building when the glider made its pass.

Teal'c took cover by one of the large columns near the entrance to the library watching the glider come in for another pass. Glancing over his shoulder he saw Daniel doing the same at another column.

"_Daniel, is there anything inside that thing we could use?_" Jack asked over the radio.

"No! It's a library nothing else."

* * *

'Fuck,' Jack thought to himself looking around.

This was not good. The team was too far from the gate. He didn't want to risk getting the team trapped inside a library. Of all things it had to be a library! And there was inadequate protection to make any kind of a defensive stand outside of the building.

"Go Carter!" he ordered giving her the slightest shove in the back with his hand.

Together they hurried to Teal'c and Daniel's position after the death glide had thundered by.

"Carter! How long until the SGC make their scheduled contact?"

"Forty minutes, sir. We would have been on our way back to the gate by then."

Glancing at the open door, the library was suddenly looking like their only option. Jack knew Jaffa troops would be arriving soon. The gate was probably being fortified while he was pondering what to do.

"Ok, we make a stand here. I'm sure our position as been reported. This is what I want us to do."

"Colonel, the link is established, sir," the gate technician said. "You can transmit now."

"SG-1 this is Colonel McBride, come in, over," he said leaning over the microphone.

"_It's about damn time_!" came Colonel O'Neill's voice through the radio.

"I apologize Colonel. We were having difficulty establishing a wormhole."

"_Figured that might...Carter blow the C4_!"

The radio line was still open and McBride grew worried at the sound of C4 exploding and weapons fire being exchanged between P90's and staff blasts.

"Colonel O'Neill what is your situation?"

"_We're fucked unless you can send reinforcements_!"

"Get me the video feed of the gate's perimeter," McBride ordered the technician.

Instantly, the video monitor flicked on and he saw an image of at least two dozen Jaffa. The image was only there briefly before all reception was lost, including radio contact.

"Shut it down! Shut down the gate!" he snapped grabbing the phone. "Get me General Hammond. Of course I know what time it is...just do it!"

"We're on our own kids," Jack informed the team when he failed to contact Colonel McBride.

If the gate was heavily guarded, the probe was most likely destroyed. Thus leaving McBride with no alternative but to shut down the gate on Earth.

"Teal'c do you know who these Jaffa belong to?" Jack asked.

"It must be Themis," Daniel answered. "Their symbol matches the one on the library walls."

Jack removed his hat and scratched his head. He didn't want to contemplate surrendering. Never give up, that was his motto. But he wasn't really that stupid, he knew they were running out of ammo and they were already out of options.

"Daniel, do you think this..."

"Themis."

"Do you think she could be an ally?"

"It's possible but I can't be sure."

"We will find out soon enough," Teal'c said. "We are completely surrounded."

'At least I set the VCR to record the game,' Jack to himself, trying to be as optimistic as possible.

* * *

Her first prime marched in and knelt in front of her throne bowing his head in submission.

"My Lady Themis, we have the intruders," he looked up then said proudly. "It is SG-1."

A smile gleamed and her eyes flashed. She was quite pleased with this news. Quite please indeed. It had been a long time waiting for such an opportunity to present itself. Time well worth the patience.

"Finally, I have something of value," she said to no one in particular. "Something to trade for what I desire."

Addressing her first prime, "Contact their leaders. Make it known we wish to make a trade. SG-1 for the Tok'ra traitor."

"Then justice will be had," he smiled.

"Yes, the traitor will trade himself for the safety of these Tauri. Then my justice will be done!"

"What if this Tok'ra refuses?"

"He will not," she smiled, holding her arrogant posture. "Once he learns I have his only daughter, he will not refuse."

* * *

Oblivious to what was happening to Sam, Jacob hurried into the commissary. He was starving. His stomach had been growling so loudly that it was literally keeping him awake.

After piling on the pancakes, with tons of syrup and butter, several pieces of crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, a few pieces toast, and a piece of fruit, Jacob finally took a seat with the only other person not sleeping at four thirty in the morning but who should be.

"Do you ever sleep Dr. Fraiser?" he asked grabbing his fork.

"I was too tired to sleep," she answered looking at the tray full of food. "And you?"

"I was too hungry to sleep," he said while trying to decide what to take a bite of first.

"I can see that!"

"Selmak must be working overtime in there or something. I haven't been this hungry since I was on the Tok'ra diet."

"What?" she asked laughing.

"When I first joined the Tok'ra, it was difficult adjusting to some things. Their idea of food...well let's say it leaves something to be desired. While I was craving hamburgers and french fries I was forced to eat crap that looked like baby food! Only it smells nasty and tastes even worse. I didn't eat for a week. I refused. Selmak said I would eat, eventually, if I got hungry enough."

"Obviously you did," she smiled.

"Well not really," he smiled proudly. "I let Selmak take over my body when we have to eat that crap. I've never actually tasted it for myself. I still miss this food though," he smiled cutting into the pancakes, getting ready to take a big bite.

"General Carter, sir."

Jacob stopped in mid bite; reluctantly he lowered the fork but didn't let go of it.

"Yes, Airman."

"You're need in the briefing room immediately, sir. General Hammond's orders, sir."

"Thank you," Jacob sighed and finally put the fork down. "If you will excuse me Dr. Fraiser. It seems that there are three of us who haven't been able to sleep tonight."

Getting up, Jacob followed the young soldier. His stomach still growling and his mouth still salivating over the pancakes he was about to eat.

"General!"

He turned just as Dr. Fraiser tossed him the orange from his tray. He quickly snatched it from the air.

"You have to eat something," she smiled shrugging her shoulders.

"Thanks," he smiled then quickly sinking his teeth into the orange.


	3. Chapter Three

Author's Notes: Language and Violence; ' ' dialogue between Jacob and Selmak

* * *

The words 'don't worry, George, I'll take care of it' kept ringing in Hammond's mind during his drive back to Cheyenne Mountain. They instantly reminded him of his and Jacob's hell raising day when they were very young. They were a cocky pair during those days. It didn't matter what kind of trouble they got into or who caused it, Jacob always got them out of it. The man was a quick thinker, usually smarter than their CO, and would use that mouth of his to either smooth talk his way out or say something so mind boggling that their CO would dismiss them pretending he actually understood what came out of Carter's mouth.

Years of service helped to humble both of them. At least until Jacob blended with Selmak. George was still humble. But ever since the blending he noticed that young Jacob Carter swagger was back in his old friend's step. George supposed it made sense, in Tok'ra years Jacob was barely out of his adolescence.

So when Hammond finally arrived in the control room he wasn't surprised to find that Jacob had already gone though the Stargate. George was still pissed though. He did ask Jacob to wait. He insisted actually.

"Arrogant Ass!"

"Sir?" the technician asked.

"Nothing. How long ago did he leave?"

"Only ten minutes, sir. He said you would be...upset, so he left the details of his plan on your computer, sir."

"Thank you, Sergeant."

Hammond dragged himself up the stairs dreading to read about what cockamamie idea Jacob came up with this time. At least there was a fresh cup of coffee steaming on his desk. Sitting down, he took a sip and opened his laptop.

_George,_

_I know you're pissed but I had to leave immediately. Besides, there isn't anything you can do. You and I both know your options were limited to hoping Sam's team could pull off one of their miracle escapes. I know their escape would be impossible because I know Themis. How I know her I won't say. But you've trusted me in the past old friend, I'm asking you to trust me now. And you can trust that I will get Sam and the others home. Be home in time for a late lunch, my treat!_

_Jake_

_PS: Don't worry, Selmak's got my back covered on this one!_

George Hammond did trust Jacob Carter with his life. He also knew that Jacob would do anything to save his daughter. So it didn't surprise Hammond when Jacob was going to trade himself for SG-1, if that was his plan. George didn't like not knowing what was going on. And he hated feeling helpless while waiting for something to happen. But it appeared he had no choice.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing Jake," he muttered to himself then began wondering how the hell Jake figured out the password to his laptop.

* * *

"I wonder what crazy idea Hammond's going to come up with this time?" Jack asked looking into the deserted hallway through the forcefield door of their cell.

"He's probably wondering the same thing about us, sir," Sam smiled.

"I'm wondering why we've been left alone for nearly six hours!" Daniel added.

"I think we're about to find out," Jack said stepping away from the door as six Jaffa arrived.

The forcefield disengaged with a small audible pop and Jack could no longer feel the static discharged. But he still reached out his hand to check just to make sure the field was down.

"Our Lady Themis, requires your presence," said the tallest and biggest Jaffa in the group.

What Jack imagined the Jaffa saying was get your ass moving before I ram this stick up your ass. It usually motivated him to keep his mouth shut. Every time he would shoot his mouth of he got poked with one of those pain sticks. Jack was tired of getting poked with those things, they hurt! Plus it was more fun to imagine what they would say instead of heard the same line over and over...and over again.

Slowly the team was led through the long corridors. Jack didn't even have to look back to see that Daniel was admiring the fancy décor on the walls. Jack looked merely to confirm what he suspected.

He also saw Teal'c was itching for a fight. Well actually, Teal'c was as stoned faced and emotionless as always, but Jack knew what was on the inside of the man. The man could speak volumes without say a word, which was great for Jack since he wasn't much for words anyway.

And Carter was tough and good at hiding her feelings too. She could handle herself with the best of them. Those blue eyes of hers scared the crap out of Jack because he could see the brilliance in them. Of course they scared the crap out of him when she was pissed too. There was no woman fiercer than Carter glaring at you with those piercing blue daggers, except for Dr. Fraiser and her needles. A chill went down Jack's back and he shook it off. God he hated needles.

"Sir?"

"I felt a draft," he lied to Carter.

"Silence!" bellowed that big Jaffa, his deep voice reverberated off the marble walls.

* * *

They finally arrived in a very large and spacious room filled with columns and green plants. The décor here was even lovelier than the hallways taken to get here. There were a few good-looking male servants, dressed similar to the men on Argos, attending to a woman sitting on her throne. However, she waved her hand when Sam and the others arrived. The servants quickly scurried to Themis' right, standing ready incase she called them back.

Themis was tall and beautiful, actually breath taking was more like it judging by the open mouths of the men on her team, expect Teal'c of course. Themis' wavy golden blonde hair hung neatly over her shoulders. Her long white gown seemed to make her brown eyes even darker and more penetrating when she looked directly at Sam. But Sam didn't turn away; she wasn't a weak woman and had no intention of backing down to anyone.

A smile showed on Themis' face when Sam and the team were forced to sit on a wide marble bench. There happen to be four small round hoops on the back of the bench. Sam wondered what they were for then quickly got her answer. All four members of SG-1 had their hands chained behind their backs and each set if chains were fastened to one of those hoops. Four hoops four pairs of hands, convenient. They were fastened so tight that Sam could barely move her arms making any chance of escape impossible.

Sam watched as, whom she assumed was Themis' first prime quickly marched towards the throne. He knelt before his God then arose to say something only Themis could hear.

"Send him in," she ordered, in a voice that was the host's and not the symbiote's.

Even the Colonel noticed glancing at Daniel who sitting on the other side of Sam. Teal'c was further down next to Daniel. They were all surprised, except for Teal'c again. The man's face never changed. But Themis' use of her host's voice was not as surprising as what Sam saw next.

In came her father, arrogantly walking in the room as if he were Zeus himself. But that wasn't what was surprising. No. It was what he was wearing that surprised Sam.

Her father was wearing a silk navy blue tunic that was cut just above his knees. A gold rope sash hung loosely around his waist. The cloak he was wearing was fastened to the tunic at his shoulders. It was the same material as the tunic. The color on the outside was navy blue and the underside matched the gold sash. He had it neatly draped over his right arm forearm. To top it off, he was wearing a thin gold u shaped wreath on his head.

On any other occasion Sam would have been rolling on the floor laughing. She never imagined her father ever wearing such garments. He just didn't seem the type, too macho. But she did have to admit he did look rather stately. Like someone of great importance.

"Who knew?" the Colonel whispered.

"Sir?" she whispered back.

"Your dad had nice legs...and feet!"

Sam's mouth fell open in disbelief. She quickly closed it realizing the Colonel was actually making a joke when he smiled. Typical of him to make a comment like that in a situation like this. Returning her gaze back to her father she watched as he knelt down on one knee, in front of Themis with his head bowed in submission. Sam did notice he was wearing gold sandals to match everything else and wondered if it was Selmak who suggested the color coordination.

"What's he saying?" Jack asked when Jacob, not Selmak, began speaking in a strange language.

"I'm not sure," Daniel replied in a hushed voice. "I think he's apologizing for...for something."

"I guess my father knows Themis," Sam concluded.

They watched in silence as Themis got down from her throne and approached Jacob, who was still kneeling with his head lowered. Themis gently lifted his head up towards her, making him rise up to his feet.

The slap was so loud it echoed through the room. It made Sam jump, slightly. But her father merely returned his gaze back to Themis.

"I guess he **does** know her," Jack whispered to Sam.

Then Sam squirmed in her seat when Themis kissed her father. She didn't know why she felt embarrassed, she just did.

"Apparently he knows her **rather** well," Jack added with a smirk on his face when the kiss deepened.

* * *

Daniel winced when Themis slapped Jacob across his left cheek. If it hurt, Jacob didn't show it. His face remained apologetic as he turned it back to Themis. Then Daniel saw the situation was really making Sam uncomfortable when Themis kiss her father.

On the other hand, Daniel had never seen Jacob this way. It was enlightening. He had never thought of Jacob the James Bond type seducing women to achieve his objectives. But apparently with Themis, he did just that.

But he also must have done something to really piss her off judging by the winded apology that Jacob gave her. By the way she kissed him all was forgiven. She even took his hand and led him out of the chamber.

While Jacob was led away, Daniel and the others were removed from their restraints and returned to their cell. The whole trip back, Daniel could see Jack was bursting to say something. He could barely contain himself but somehow managed to do so until the team was alone.

"Daniel, what did he say?" Jack insisted on knowing.

"He apologized," Daniel replied glancing quickly at Sam.

She looked pissed. Daniel did not wanting to repeat any of the details Jacob said, at least not in front of her. Better she stay mad at Jack for asking than at Daniel for revealing what he knew.

"That's it?" Jack asked looking disappointed.

"Yep."

Jack squinted at Daniel and replied, "That must have been one hell of an apology."

"You have no idea," Daniel whispered to himself.

"Indeed," Teal'c said making everyone turn to see one of his eye brows raised, he was just as surprised as they were and it actually showed this time.

* * *

There were only ten Jaffa guarding the gate. And all ten quickly took up defensive positions when the gate activated. Each waited anxiously as the vortex extended before retracting leaving the event horizon flat and shimmering. For the longest moment, no one emerged. The Jaffa grew tenser as they waited for whatever would eventually emerge.

Then two small round spheres suddenly flew out from the event horizon. The Jaffa immediately knew what they were and turned to run only it was already too late. A blinding white light flashed from each sphere instantly incapacitating all ten Jaffa. The two spheres landed as all then men crumpled to the ground.

At last, three figures emerged from the event horizon, Master Bra'tac and two Jaffa, loyal to the him. Confidently the three quickly headed down the road knowing the unconscious Jaffa would not wake for several hours. And they were confident because they add the advantage in this situation.

If everything went according to Jacob Carter's plan they would be returning through the gate within an hour of Bra'tac's arrival. He was given specific details of how many Jaffa would be guarding the gate and how many would be patrolling enroute to the ship. He was even given a layout of the ship with specific corridors the two dozen or so Jaffa patrolled.

Swiftly and with relative ease Bra'tac and his companions were able to make their way to the unguarded side entrance of the ship. When Bra'tac had questioned Jacob about Themis and her Jaffa, he was surprised to learn that she did not have many, less than fifty to be exact. She only had a few personal attendants in her possession, quite the opposite of her former glory days.

In those days Bra'tac was very young, not yet the first prime of Apophis. It was during the battles against Cronos when he first learned of Themis. She was said to be a formidable woman with such exquisite beauty that men would kill their best friend for her affections. It was a persistent rumor. A shame he was never able to confirm such beauty with his own eyes.

By the time he was made first prime of Apophis another rumor persisted, that Themis had perished at the hands of Cronos. There was nothing to dissuade such a rumor and he believed it to be true. Upon hearing that she was alive gave he renewed hope that perhaps he would finally see if the rumors were indeed true. Bra'tac even dared to ask Jacob Carter if the rumors were of merit. The man simply smiled and nodded his head before explaining the rest of his plan.

So far everything was going as planned. Bra'tac and his loyal companions made good time ducking in and out of corridors until they finally reached the prison level. Bra'tac silently signaled his men to stand watch, one at each end of the hallway. SG-1 was even in the cell Jacob guessed that they would be in. Even if they weren't, there was no mistaking O'Neill's voice. You could hear him down at the far end of the hall.

"Must you be so loud!" Bra'tac barked at O'Neill in a hushed voice while deactivating the forcefield.

"Bra'tac!" O'Neill said excitedly hurrying to his feet. "Lucky you stopped by."

"Luck had nothing to do with it," Bra'tac smiled pulling the bag off his shoulder and handed it to Colonel O'Neill then he turned to Major Carter. "It seems your father as intimate knowledge of how Themis operates."

"You have no idea!" Jack interjected opening the bag and pulling out a P90. "Sweet!"

"This is for your father when he arrives," he said handing Major Carter a smaller bag.

The young woman snatched the bag while glaring at O'Neill. Bra'tac at times was confused by how the Tauri expressed their feelings. However, there was no mistaking that Major Carter was furious and if she so desired, or if it were possible, she would have sent O'Neill to the fiery pits of Netu.

* * *

The hallway was deserted when Jacob left Themis' private chambers. Quickly but silently he moved down the long hall feeling the long cloak brushing against the back of his bare calves. He was suddenly hit with an image of Sam bursting into hysterical giggles and O'Neill primed to make some idiotic comment. Whatever was actually going through their heads Jacob knew he would have to nip it in the bud first chance. Which would be very soon, he hoped.

At a corner he stopped and slowly peered around it. All clear. He took two steps then suddenly collapsed onto the hard floor clutching his stomach. The pain was sharp and agonizing. Then it was suddenly gone. Jacob remained still letting out a long sigh of relief. He hesitated to move for a moment waiting to feel if the pain would return. Instead his stomach grumbled.

'Selmak, what the hell are you doing in there?' he asked his symbiote continuing on with his journey.

'Nothing. You've been expending a lot of energy and need to eat that's all.'

'I haven't been expending that much energy.'

'What do you...'

'Nevermind!' Jacob snapped ducking into a niche just before a Jaffa walked by.

'I told you those protein bars were insufficient.'

'Not now Selmak!'

'Like he can hear me!'

His stomach was growling again, loudly and he hunched over slightly.

'What about that?'

Jacob received a mental image of Selmak shrugging her shoulders. He just prayed they were the only ones who could hear his stomach. When it was safe to continue he did so at a more urgent pace. By the time he reached the prison level he was practically running. The whole time he was thinking that he better get home soon before he passes out from hunger.

"Dad!"

"We have to hurry!" he said snatching the small bag from Sam.

"The road to the Gate is clear," Bra'tac informed Jacob.

"Good," Jacob replied then opened the bag pulling out his fatigue pants, a black T-shirt, and combat boots.

"By the way Jacob..."

"If I were you Colonel, I would keep your trap shut!" Jacob snapped pulling on his pants.

"Why are you changing?" Sam asked when he yanked the tunic off over his head.

"I couldn't let George see me wearing this," he answered then shoved the tunic in the bag handing it back to Sam.

Smiling he quickly pulled on the shirt and put his combat boots on, not even bothering to tie them.

"He'll never let it go," he continued. "Especially after what I did to him at one particular Toga party." 

"Toga Party?" Jack asked with raising his eyebrows.

"I mean it Jack!" Jacob growled standing face to face with Jack. "If I hear that you or any member of your team, **including** my own daughter, have mentioned **one** word about this to a living soul I will personally rip each of you a new asshole! Are we ?"

"Crystal clear, sir!" Jack saluted.

Feeling confident he handled that well, Jacob turned to see Teal'c, Daniel, and one of Bra'tac's loyal Jaffa running from their position down the hall.

"We've got company!" Daniel said.

"This way!" Jacob ordered taking off back the direction he came towards the other end of the hallway.

He didn't even wait for the others to follow. He just ran, as if his instinct was telling him he needed to be at that end of the hallway. When he reached the turn he quickly yanked the rebel Jaffa out of the way just before a staff blast ripped by. Jacob had yanked him so hard the guy went sliding ten feet across the floor on his backside.

* * *

To say Themis was fuming was an understatement she was beyond fury. Not even the fiery pits of Netu could compete with the anger boiling deep within her. First she had been angry with herself, angry for believing his words. He **was **very convincing and sounded sincere when he apologized to her. So sincere that she was quick to forgive him, perhaps too quick.

Perhaps it was because she missed his company. Missed their debates, missed the long nights of endless pleasures. He was quite knowledgeable in all aspects of life, which intrigued her for she had never before met her match, intellectually or passionately.

He was a challenge too. The first man she ever encountered whom resisted her beauty. It took her a month to crack through the barrier that he kept up at all times. She was the one who usually had the barriers, only allowing whom she deemed worthy of her affections to pass through it. It was she who asked him to be her mate and that she had never made such an offer to anyone before him. But he declined.

She slapped him for that too. She hit him over and over while he never once defended himself against each stinging blow. Only until she was finally exhausted did he hold her close and explain he already had a mate and that she had died long ago. And though his mate was dead, he could never love another as deeply as he loved her and felt as if he would betray that love if he were to give his heart to another.

Themis loved him even more after that but respected his decision. It was that loved that prevented her from killing him the day she discovered he was a Tok'ra. She hated him for being the one thing she despised most. And she hated him even more when he didn't fight back even as she raised a blade to stab him. She even yelled at him to stop her but he didn't. Instead of stabbing him she ordered him to leave but also warned him that she would hunt him down and kill him and any other Tok'ra along the way.

Only she couldn't kill him when she saw him striding back into her throne room. He was wearing her favorite tunic she had made especially for him. Clever of him to wear it on this day knowing she adored him in it. Not clever enough though. If he had just asked, she probably would have released his daughter and her companions. And now it was too late. He was gone and she was going to kill him.

With the hand device securely on, Themis walked gracefully and full of purpose out of her chambers.

* * *

"Jacob must be working out or Selmak's on steroids!" Jack said as they were hoping over the few Jaffa that Jacob had taken care of single-handedly. "He tossed that last guy like a rag doll! I mean the guy flew ten feet through the air!"

"I never knew a Tok'ra or a Goa'uld was that strong!" Daniel added, as they were all desperately trying to keep up with Jacob.

"They are not," Teal'c commented.

"I believe I know where he is leading us," Bra'tac stated. "There is a secret door behind the throne. It will lead us to where we need to go."

"More of those intimate details?" Jack asked smiling.

He immediately noticed the glare from Major Carter. Her eyes were icy hot daggers but he couldn't resist the jibe. It was his nature. As much as he tried to fight it, it was who he was. Although, Major Carter wasn't nearly as threatening as Jacob had been. Jack didn't want to come under Jacob's wrath, especially the way he was offing Jaffa right and left.

When they finally reached the throne room, Jack found Jacob had somehow taken care of half a dozen Jaffa, who lay motionless on the marble floor. He was currently engaged with Themis' first prime. Jack even notice Jacob had taken a few staff blasts but didn't appear to be slowing down.

"Oh Shit! Jacob look out!" Jack shouted but it was already too late.

Themis appeared and she was pissed. The hand device had catapulted Jacob and her first prime hard into one of the solid marble columns, literally breaking it in two upon impact. The smaller half fell, crushing Themis' first prime and killing him instantly.

"DAD!"

Jack was too late in grabbing Major Carter from rushing to her father's side as he lay motionless and pinned beneath the other much larger piece of the column. He and the others quickly laid down covering fire, allowing Carter to reach her father safely while at the same time forcing Themis to retreat.

Seeing no immediate threat Jack and the others quickly joined the Major. Jacob was unconscious and unresponsive. Both his legs were trapped and blood was dripping from his mouth. Major Carter had turned her father to his side afraid he would drown in his own fluid.

"I think he's bleeding internally," Sam said and they could all hear how worried she was.

"Let's see if we can move this thing," Jack said trying to sound optimistic.

The column was solid marble and of course the biggest piece had to fall on Jacob. They couldn't possibly roll it off Jacob's legs because the other piece was T-boned against it on the side they needed to roll it towards. And if they rolled it the other way it would kill Jacob. There wasn't much to grab hold of either, but all the men tried anyway, hoping to lift it enough for Carter to pull her father out from beneath it.

* * *

Jacob remembered hearing Jack's voice just before he heard and felt his own back break when it impacted the thick marble. He could even feel something inside him burst like hot water balloon. Then there was darkness. Then suddenly there was pain. Lots of pain.

"AHH! STOP IT!" Jacob screamed in agony.

"Dad!"

"FUCK!" he gritted through his teeth feeling the pain shooting up his legs through his entire body.

Knowing it was bad, he still had to look. His legs were crushed. But his back didn't hurt. He thought that was odd, he could have sworn it had broken. But that was the least of his worries, he could hear the familiar march of more Jaffa heading their way and they were out of options.

"Sam...go...leave me!" he said squeezing her hand tightly.

"DAD NO!"

"Jack, take her and get the hell out of here...that's an order! There's nothing you can do for me!" Jacob growled pushing Sam into Jack's arms. "GO! I LOVE YOU SAM! GO NOW!"

She managed to tell him she loved him too before reluctantly leaving with the others. The tears were running down her face as she left. Jacob's own tears were burning his eyes but they were more tears of pain.

Yet, despite the pain Jacob struggled to free himself. He didn't want to die. He could hear the thundering feet of the Jaffa still coming. If he was to die he rather it be by them than by Themis. He struggled harder just thinking about the various ways she would make him suffer before killing him.

He grimaced and grunted until he finally managed to pull one of his legs out. It was a crumpled mess. The bone pulverized. The bones in his barefoot crushed into tiny pieces. It would take Selmak more than a day to take care of that mess, perhaps a week, there were two legs both equally damaged. He started laughing, the pain wasn't so bad anymore. Either he was getting used to it or he was delirious.

'Shouldn't the Jaffa be here by now? I can still hear them.'

'Jacob watch this!' Selmak suddenly said excitedly.

'What?'

'Just watch!'

He was watching. For what he wasn't too sure until he fell the bone in his leg moving. Only it didn't hurt. His leg felt hot. It was hot when he touched it. Then suddenly the pain was completely gone. The same with his foot, only it tickled when he felt the bones reforming.

'See!' she giggled excitedly as he flexed his foot.

Actually excited didn't describe what Jacob was feeling from Selmak. She was giddy like she was drunk or on drugs.

'Selmak, you're not supposed to be able to do that!'

'Well, I can now! Pull the other leg out! Let's see if I can heal that one faster!'

'Selmak, are you ok?'

'I'm fine Jacob! So are you!'

Jacob used his good leg and pushed against the heavy marble. The marble rolled, surprising him, moving just enough to he could pull his leg out with ease. Selmak immediately went to work, whistling inside his head, until his other leg was completely healed. Hesitantly he got to his feet. Again, he felt no pain only the cold floor on his bare feet.

'Where is it?' he asked scanning the floor.

'What?'

'The GDO! It was in my pocket.'

'It's probably under the column. Pulverized!'

'Shit! George is going to rip me a new one for that!' he said doubling over.

'If you hurry, we can still catch up with the others.'

'Let's hope I don't pass out along the way.'

* * *

There was no resistance along the way to the Stargate. Which was a good thing. Sam wouldn't have been much help. She couldn't stop the tears. She tried but just couldn't. Her father was dead or he would be very soon. There was no changing that fact. She could see it in all of their faces and she knew it deep in her mind. He was gone.

"Where's Jacob?" she heard Hammond asked Colonel O'Neill as they all slowly descended the ramp.

"He...he didn't make it, sir," Jack answered quietly but she still heard.

Sam couldn't bring herself to meet General Hammond's gaze. Instead she turned back to the shimmering event horizon. Half expecting her father to come sauntering down the ramp but knowing he wouldn't be.

Her vision was blurred through her tears but she saw a figure emerge from the event horizon. She sniffled and quickly wiped her tears away. And she burst into a giggle.

"That's impossible!" the Colonel said from behind her.

"Anything's possible Jack," he father smiled.

For a brief moment, Sam almost didn't believe he was actually there. Thinking maybe she finally snapped and was having a nervous breakdown. Hallucinations included. But he **was** there and she squeezed him hard afraid to let him go.

"Can you do something for me Sam?' he whispered into her ear.

"Anything, Dad," she smiled squeezing him harder.

"Hold me up, I'm going to pass out now!"

And he did just that. Sam felt his knees buckle, his head fell on her shoulder, and all of his weight came bearing down on her. Luckily the team was there to quickly help her out. They all helped to lay Jacob gently on the floor.


	4. Chapter Four

Author's notes: Language; _italics_ denote phone conversation; ' ' dialogue between Jacob and Selmak

* * *

Around the time Jacob Carter arrived on P3X-49 Gabriel Abraham Van Helsing had just returned to Colorado Springs after dispensing of the body with a contact in Denver. Carl still had not yet contacted him with the information he required. But he wasn't in any rush anyway. He was a patient man by nature, much like his grandfather Professor Abraham Van Helsing. But Gabriel was also full of adventure, when the occasion called for it, like his great grandfather Gabriel Van Helsing.

Gabriel was the only child of Charles and Elizabeth Van Helsing born in a small Dorset town about two hours outside of London in the year of 1969. His father was raising his son to be a good Roman Catholic and grooming him to become a professor, like his grandfather. At times Charles was strict with Gabriel but only when it was necessary. Otherwise the Van Helsing home was filled with much love and joy.

So when Gabriel's parents were killed when he was five years old he had been devastated. Abraham took in his grandson, trying to raise the boy the way Charles wanted. It had worked until the boy was fifteen.

One day while in his grandfather's library, Gabriel was working diligently on his studies when he accidentally came across a book hidden in a secret compartment in the wall. It was his grandfather's diary. The last entry was the day his parents were killed.

On that day Gabriel learned that his parents were killed while on holiday in East Proctor. But they were not killed in a car accident as he had been told. A werewolf killed them, their bodies found on the moors the next morning savagely ripped to shreds.

After that day, Gabriel changed. He became obsessed with the occult. For one year he managed to keep his obsession secret from his grandfather. Or he so he thought.

The night Gabriel attempted to track down the creature he was nearly killed. He survived only because his grandfather was there in time to kill the creature. It seems Abraham had failed to track the creature after his son and daughter in law were brutally killed. When he learned that his grandson had located the creature Abraham set out to dispatch the beast. Only he wasn't expecting his grandson to act so quickly, it was the only time the boy showed no patience.

Abraham decided it was time to introduce Gabriel to the Order, a secret faction of the Roman Catholic Church. Their job was to vanquish evil throughout the known world. Through the Order Gabriel learned of the great Gabriel Van Helsing had a talent for ridding the world of Vampires, Werewolves, Warlocks and unimaginable monsters created by man or by nature. When he died, his son Abraham continued in his father's footsteps. Only Abraham was an intellectual and he was never as reckless as his father was. In the end, they both produced the same results.

During Gabriel's eighteenth year he was the last of the Van Helsings. His grandfather passed at the age of ninety-three leaving Gabriel alone in the world. Naturally he joined the Order. It was inevitable. A right that was his since the day he was born.

Gabriel was a perfect combination of his great grandfather and grandfather. He had a particular talent for tracking werewolves. His obsession had never dulled over the years. He knew everything there was to know about the creatures. And he encountered many in remote regions of the world. From his experiences he concluded that they were animals incapable of a coherent thought. They may have once been men but truly were uncontrollable animals when the curse was upon them capable of killing their own family. Best thing to do was to put them out of their misery before they harmed the innocent.

His cell phone rang bringing Gabriel out of his melancholy. Glancing at the caller id he saw it was Carl.

"Finally!" he said quickly hitting the speaker button. "Something must be going on inside that mountain for you to take this long!"

"_Yes, but I still don't know what it is. We may never find out_."

"So, what did you find out about our man?"

"_It wasn't easy..._"

"Carl!" Gabriel cut him off before his friend went into a long rant, which Carl was prone to do.

"_Right. Sorry. I believe his name is Jacob Carter_."

"You believe?"

"_He's Major Samantha Carter's father_!"

"Oh."

"_Can I continue_?"

"Please do," Gabriel smiled hearing how annoyed his friend was.

"_Right. Where was I...Jacob Carter is a two star General in the Airforce. Three years ago he was diagnosed with lymphoma and was only given a few months to live. He was on his death bed at the USAF Hospital in Colorado Springs when he seemed to disappear_."

"He died."

"_No, if he were dead there would be a record. Our man simply disappeared. All of his medical records were transferred to Cheyenne Mountain_."

"Interesting!"

"_Indeed! There's too much for me to tell you over the phone so I've emailed all the necessary files to your laptop, including photographs_."

Gabriel quickly flipped open the laptop sitting on the passenger seat and waited for the image to download.

"That's our man. Thank you Carl, good work!"

"_You're welcome and happy hunting_."

His stomach was complaining. He had been driving most of the day. Now was a good time to eat and rest. The break would give him a chance to read over the files before paying a visit to Dr. Jackson.

* * *

When Jacob opened his eyes he saw the all too familiar fluorescent tube lights on the ceiling of the infirmary. He seemed to be spending too much time in the infirmary lately. Sitting up and looking around he saw he was alone.

'Are we going to eat now?' Selmak asked when Jacob got to his feet

'I don't see why not,' he replied looking out into the hallway outside the infirmary. 'No one to keep us here. How do you feel?'

'Hungry! We need protein!'

'I know just the place too, O'Malley's Bar and Grill! How long was I out?'

'An hour. Dr. Fraiser gave you another shot though.'

'Yeah, I guessed that,' he said removing the taped cotton ball from his arm.

'She gave you a full physical exam too.'

Jacob snorted at the thought finding it rather amusing. Minutes later he reached his quarters where he quickly changed into a pair of slacks, shirt and his favorite black leather jacket.

'I thought we were go to eat!' Selmak exclaimed minutes later when they were Jacob hurried up the stairs to the briefing room, skipping every other step along the way.

'We are Sel! I want to invite Sam and her team. They should be finishing up with Hammond about now.'

"Dad! Shouldn't you be in the infirmary?" Sam asked immediately when he entered the briefing room.

"I didn't see any reason for me to stay. Selmak said I was fine after the shot Dr. Fraiser gave me."

"Doctor?" Hammond asked.

"I did a thorough exam and couldn't find anything wrong with him, sir," Janet answered making Jacob snort quietly to himself. He noticed her eyes quickly glanced his way indicating she heard him before directing her attention back to Hammond.

"Besides being in the infirmary two times in less the twenty four hours is too much," he said then quickly added. "No offense to you Dr. Fraiser."

"None taken," she said attempting to suppress a smile.

"Is there anything you would like to add to their report Jacob?" Hammond asked.

"I'm sure Colonel O'Neill and his team did a good job," he said glaring at the Colonel for a brief moment. "In fact I came up here to invite them to dinner, my treat."

"Really?" O'Neill asked raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, I'm in the mood for steak. Anyone else?"

The Colonel immediately stood up, as did the rest of his team. Apparently none of them were going to miss out on a steak dinner. Suddenly they all realized they were out of line and Jacob watched as they looked to General Hammond, all with their best looking innocent as angels' faces.

"You're dismissed," he smiled waving them away.

"Thank you, sir!" they said in unison and quickly head for the exit.

"We'll be ready in five minutes," O'Neill shouted back before they filed down the stairs.

"You're welcome to join us George," Jacob offered.

"No thank you, another time."

"Doctor?" he asked flashing a warm smile her way.

"I'm sorry General, I have plans with my daughter this evening," she smiled back. "General Hammond, if you'll excuse me I have some paperwork to finish before I leave."

"It has been a long day," Hammond sighed getting to his feet.

"Sorry about that George," Jacob said while Dr. Fraiser was getting up from her seat. "It took me a little longer than expected to find Bra'tac."

George was saying something but Jacob wasn't listening. He caught a whiff of vanilla scented perfume as Dr. Fraiser walked by him. She didn't see but his head turned to watch her walk away.

"Jacob!"

He snapped his head back around to see George standing right in front of him with a rather deep scowl on his face.

"Are you sure you ok?"

"Never been better!" Jacob smiled devilishly and slapping George on the shoulder.

"Just stay out of trouble, please."

"Will do! See you tomorrow."

Hurrying down the stairs Jacob passed a young female Lieutenant. His nose was instantly filled with a very faint scent of Calvin Klein's Eternity. And when he turned to watch her he almost tripped down the last few steps.

'Selmak, what are you doing to me?'

'Why is everything my fault! You were the one watching the blonde trod up the steps not me!'

'Not that! My sense of smell, it's never been that acute to where I can tell what fragrance a person's wearing! Even my wife used to tease me saying I couldn't tell the difference between her fragrance shampoo and her sweet fragrance perfumes.'

'What's he wearing?'

'Old Spice after shave,' he said as he continued walking through the tunnel.

'Him.'

'Dial, soap.'

'Her.'

'Caress body wash, Fusion Berry.'

'How do you know that one?'

'Last time I visited Sam remember, I had to use that stuff.'

'Oh, yes. What about Samantha?'

"Where are the guys?" he asked.

"They're on their way," she smiled adjusting the collar on her leather jacket.

"Sam, how come you're not wearing any perfume?"

"Dad!"

"I thought all women wear perfume when they go out," he smiled.

"I do, when it's a date. Not when I'm going out with the guys," she scoffed pushing the elevator button.

Jacob watched her for a moment, pondering his next question.

"Do you go out on dates?"

"Dad, that's none of your business. Especially after what I saw today! I don't even want to know what was going on between you and Themis."

"I would like to know," Jack said as he and the others arrived.

"I bet you would!" Jacob smiled.

"Come on Jake, she is beautiful," Jack said, instantly getting a glare from Sam, as they filled up the elevator.

"Alright, I can't tell you everything. But Themis was my first solo assignment. I was to infiltrate and gather information."

"By any means possible?"

"No, she was thought to be dead but when the Tok'ra heard she was alive, the High Council decided to explore the possibility of her being a potential ally. And for the record...she came after me!"

"Jake you old dog, couldn't resist a pretty face!"

"Colonel!" Sam protested.

"You have no idea," Jacob whispered to Jack.

"Dad!"

"Sorry Sam," Jacob smiled sheepishly at her. "I'll buy you a drink. In fact drinks are on me too."

"Sweet! Teal'c you're driving me and Daniel home tonight!"

"He can drive?" Jacob asked.

"Taught him myself," Jack smiled proudly.

"I sure hope you drive better than you fly Jack. I've seen your flight record!" Jacob laughed.

* * *

Her father was acting strange and Sam was the only one who noticed. Jacob was not being his usual 'I'm a two star General so don't fuck with me' self. She decided that maybe it was the alcohol. The guys seemed to be enjoying themselves. Even Teal'c who wasn't drinking.

They were relaxed, joking, and being obnoxious. Well, Teal'c wasn't being obnoxious. But her father and the Colonel were. It was difficult to tell who was being more obnoxious between the two. They were even flirting with the waitresses. Sam gave her dad a swift kick in his shin for that one.

Then somehow her father and the Colonel started a bet to see who could drink the other under the table. It must have happened when she made a trip to the ladies room because they already downed two shots of Tequila each when she returned. Daniel had wisely declined to join. And Jacob promised his symbiote wouldn't interfere with the bet.

She was just glad they ate something before they started doing shots in between beers. And that was another thing that was strange, her father's appetite. He ate two steaks and the other half of hers that she couldn't finish.

If the others didn't seem worried about her father's sudden appetite. They were incapable anyway. Daniel was already blitzed after four beers. Teal'c ate two steaks himself. The Colonel, well he was having too much fun swapping stories with her dad.

"I'm surprised the two of them can stand," Daniel said sipping on his cup of coffee at the bar.

"I'm just surprised!" she said watching as her father and the Colonel were shooting a game of pool talking nonstop.

"About your father?"

"Yeah, he's not acting like his normal self."

"How do you know? Do you expect him to be so rigid all the time?"

"No, but..."

"Sam, how many times have you gone out with your father like this?"

"Never," she hated to admit.

"Then how can you say he's not acting normal. To me this is the most normal I have ever seen him. He's like a regular guy having a good time. Let him enjoy it."

"I suppose you're right," she sighed looking at her empty cup of coffee.

"LAST CALL!"

"I am right," Daniel smiled taking her cup. "I'll get us some more coffee. Why don't you by the boys another round of drinks that will make them happy."

* * *

"Maybe I shouldn't have had Sam buy you that last drink," Daniel said as he and Teal'c helped to support the Colonel up straight.

"I'm fine," Jack insisted slurring his words.

"You are in fact, not fine," Teal'c said.

"Did I win the bet?"

"Sorry, Jacob already collected. He and Sam left a few minutes ago," Daniel said while Teal'c was unlocking the truck doors.

"Jake and his snake, that sneaky bastard. He cheated."

"I don't think so. Jacob was pretty drunk himself," Daniel laughed thinking back to how much trouble Sam had just getting her own father into the car. "He just didn't fall on his face like you did."

"I didn't fall! I was examining the cracks on the pavement...up close."

"Then you threw up," Daniel added.

"Did not!"

"Did to."

"Not!"

"To...Teal'c!"

"You did," Teal'c insisted picking up O'Neill and sitting him on the front passenger seat.

"I think someone needs to stay with him," Daniel said watching as Teal'c buckled the Colonel in.

"I will stay with him."

"Thanks, then I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Do you not need a ride home?"

"No, I live a few blocks from here. The walk will do me good."

"Very well. I will see you tomorrow."

Daniel waited until after Teal'c drove away before heading home. The cold air was refreshing and helped to sober him up.

It had been a long day he was looking forward to getting a good night sleep. Thankfully Hammond didn't want them in until ten in the morning so Daniel was going to get at least a solid six hours of sleep. The usual for him, he didn't sleep much anyway. He didn't even bother turning any of the lights on in his apartment, planning on heading straight to the bed.

"About damn time you showed up," said a familiar voice in the darkness.

A light clicked and Daniel's living room was illuminated. There sitting on his couch was a man he had not seen since his summer internship on a dig just outside of Cairo.

"Gabriel?"

"So, you do remember me," Gabriel replied getting to his feet.

"How could I forget after the...um...mummy incident."

"Just doing my job. I was glad for the help."

"I never told a soul, you made me swear."

"Daniel, I'm not here because of that," Gabriel said holding his hands up. "Sit down. Please."

Knowing the kind of man Gabriel was Daniel quickly did as he was asked sitting in the chair opposite the couch. From the look on Gabriel's face, Daniel had a feeling he wasn't going to get that good night sleep after all.

"I need your help again old friend," he said after he sat back down.

"Sure, if you need translations..."

"No, not that kind of help. Do you know a General Jacob Carter?"

"Yes, he's the father a very good friend of mine."

"Major Samantha Carter?"

"Yes," Daniel said slowly not really sure where this questioning was leading him.

"How well do you know the General?"

"Jacob is a very good friend of mine. He had saved my butt a few times too many and I owe him my life."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Gabriel sighed.

"Why?"

Gabriel was silent for a few moments and appeared to be collecting his thoughts.

"Do you remember what I told you long ago, about my job?" he finally asked.

"Yes, you said it was secret and that you rid the world of evil but Jacob is not evil. He's a good man!"

"That may be true but it doesn't change what happened to him."

"What are you talking about? And you had better tell me now!" Daniel snapped in anger.

"Do you know he was attacked by an animal the other night?"

"Yes, I found out earlier this evening. They never discovered what animal it was. Are you telling me you know about it?"

"I was there. I was too late in preventing the attack on your friend. For that, I am truly sorry."

"What attacked him and why are you going to kill him? That is why you're here, isn't it? That's your job!"

"Yes," Gabriel said sadly.

"So, what attacked him?"

"A werewolf."

Daniel blinked. He wanted to laugh thinking it was some kind of joke. Only Gabriel was deadly serious.

"Excuse me?" Daniel managed to say after a long moment.

* * *

He was burning up. It felt too hot in his bedroom. Much too hot too sleep. Jacob quickly got up, stormed across the room and flung open the window. Looking down he saw his shirt was drenched and he quickly yanked it off dropping it on the floor at his feet. He stuck his head out the window and just breathed in the cool October air for a few minutes.

Plumes of his breath could be seen from his nose when he exhaled slowly. The sky was perfectly clear. He couldn't see the stars as well here in the city, not like at Cheyenne Mountain. But the moon was still bright in night sky.

Somehow it seemed mesmerizing and Jacob couldn't take his eyes from it, almost as if he would miss something if he turned away. Not until a shiver passed through him was he compelled to look elsewhere.

Leaving the window open, Jacob headed back to bed. White-hot pain flashed suddenly through him causing him to double over and collapse onto the floor. It was quickly changed to a burning sensation up and down his right arm from his fingertips to his shoulder.

'Selmak!'

There was no reply. There wouldn't be. She was still in a deep sleep after purging his body of the alcohol contents he consumed earlier. He had way too much to drink. It would be hours before she would wake.

Sitting up and leaning against the bed, he grimaced in pain clutching his arm. Beads of sweat began to pour down his face. He was even having a hard time keeping his grip on his own arm because his entire body was sweating profusely. The pain was so bad that it took all of his will power not to cry out. Then it got worse.

His right hand began making strange popping noises. The burning sensation increased and focused on his hand and was accompanied by a tingling sensation. Uncurling his fist he watched his fingers slowly begin to extend. Blinking back the sweat and his tears of pain he tried to focus, uncomprehending what he was seeing. His whole hand was lengthening.

A whimper escaped from him when he saw talons slowly sprouting from his fingertips. He quickly covered his mouth with his other hand to keep from crying out from the shock of what he was witnessing.

Like a frightened child, Jacob quickly squeezed his eyes shut wishing for what was happening to stop. His mind just couldn't grasp the reality of the situation. It went against everything he knew in the universe.

Only after several moments had passed, and not until he heard his own hurried breathing instead of the bone popping sounds, did he open his eyes. He saw that his hand was back to normal and he felt no more pain, no more tingly burning sensation. His hand trembled as he turned it over to inspect it. Then he passed out.


	5. Chapter Five

Author's notes: Language

* * *

For the past two hours Daniel sat quietly and listened. Gabriel explained in full detail what he meant by the evils of the world. Daniel almost couldn't believe it. Vampires, werewolves, warlocks, demons, and yes mummies. It was unbelievable but all the stories and myths were true. They all existed but the Roman Catholic Church kept their existence secret. 

The Knights of the Holy Order had been around for centuries, changing their title to just the Order during the latter half of the twentieth century. A secret society, who has agents like Gabriel scattered throughout the world. Their job to protect the innocent and keep the evil from spreading, killing it if possible. And all done without the average person ever knowing about.

Of course, stories would leak out. Rumors were inevitable. There were books, cults, and even movies about these creatures. It made sense that such creatures were based on fact. Our modern fairy tales we tell to our children were horror stories from our distant past based on true events.

It made too much sense to Daniel. And he couldn't help but notice the similarity between the way the Order functioned and the way the SGC functioned. Both existed in secret and worked hard to keep their secrets. The Order's evil was here on Earth. The SGC's was out in the universe. Both were trying to achieve the same objective by getting rid of evil.

Even Daniel noticed how he and Gabriel were the same kind of man. Both were men of intellect and had a knack for adventure. One had to be adventurous to do what their jobs entailed. That was why the two of them got along so well long ago.

Yet, there was another similarity, a darker one. It was subtle but Daniel picked up on it. He had a talent for knowing people. While Gabriel was explaining about werewolves and all the different kinds Daniel notice the tone of his friend's voice changed. The words came out briskly with a hint of anger when he explained why they needed to be exterminated. Something personal happened. Hunting werewolves was more than a job to Gabriel it was an obsession. Much like Daniel's when his wife had been taken and then killed.

"What happened?"

"Pardon me?" Gabriel asked.

"Something happened to you or your family."

"My parents were killed by a werewolf," he said sadly. "But do you understand why I must kill your friend."

"I understand but you can't kill Jacob."

"So you won't help me."

"I didn't say that. I said you can't kill Jacob. He's too important to the protection of this planet."

Now it was Gabriel's turn to be surprised.

"Excuse me? Does this have something to do with what's going on inside Cheyenne Mountain."

"Yes," Daniel said leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "What I'm about to tell you is top secret, you are not to repeat it to anyone. Since you know about secrets I'm going to tell you."

"I was hoping," Gabriel smiled. "It is an odd place for an archeologist in that mountain."

"Back in 1928 on the Giza plateau in Egypt and alien device, called a Stargate, was discovered buried beneath a cover stone. On this cover stone were writings. Hieroglyphs and symbols thought to be some ancient language. I was brought in to decipher the symbols because no one else could. Eventually I learned that they star configurations, seven symbols equal an address. We use the Stargate to travel to different planets by dialing an address. Each planet has its own unique address. Cheyenne Mountain is the SGC, Stargate Command Center. With me so far?"

"Please continue!" Gabriel eagerly said.

"During our exploring we came across an evil of our own, called the Goa'uld. They're parasites who take control of a human body."

"Parasites?"

"They're symbiotes. It's basically a snake like creature that attaches itself to the brain of a host thus taking control of the host's body and mind. The Goa'uld go around the universe impersonating Gods, such as Ra or Apophis."

"So your theories were right about the Egyptians not building the pyramids?"

"You know about my theories?"

"Of course. I knew you would be published someday and was always on the look out for your work. I guess the rest of the Academic Society weren't to keen on your theories."

"No they weren't."

"It is a shame your work cannot be published now, just to see the looks on their faces."

"Yes it is but the sacrifice is worth it," Daniel smiled.

"Saving the world without being able to share your glory with it sounds like a hard pill to swallow too me."

"Much like your line of work," Daniel countered.

"Touché my friend," Gabriel smiled. "So, back to these...Goa'uld, they're evil."

"Yes, but we do have allies. One of them is called the Tok'ra. The Tok'ra are similar to the Goa'uld. They have symbiotes too. The difference is the symbiote does not control the host's mind. Host and symbiote share the body thus having a truly symbiotic relationship."

"Why would a person chose to be a host?"

Daniel laughed, "That's what I asked the Tok'ra when we met them for the first time. A symbiote can extend their hosts life to hundreds of years and heal..."

"Lymphoma?"

"Yes," Daniel nodded. "They can heal cancer, mend a broken bone in a day, or any injury basically. Unless it's too life threatening."

"So that explains why General Carter disappeared. He's a..."

"Tok'ra. He's Earth liaison. If something were to happen to his symbiote while on Earth..."

"Then there would be no more alliance."

"Especially since the symbiote he carries is the oldest and wisest of all the Tok'ra."

"Must be one hell of a burden for the man."

"Jacob is a good man and more than capable."

"Yes, I've read his file. I've read all the files for the personnel at the...SGC."

"So, you can't kill Jacob. You said it yourself, it's a disease and most diseases have a cure, right?"

"Let me make a phone call to my friend, Carl. If there is a cure he will find it."

* * *

'JACOB!' 

Selmak called him for again for the tenth time. She finally felt his mind beginning to wake.

'Selmak?'

'Yes, Jacob,' she exasperated. 'Who else would it be?'

'Ah...Selmak, what were you doing last night?'

'I was sleeping.'

'Sleep walking?'

'No sleeping. Why?'

'Why am I sleeping on the floor then?'

Seeing with her host's eyes, she saw they were on the floor, curled on their side.

'We weren't sleeping on the floor when we went to bed!'

'Damn! It's cold in here! Did you open the window?' Jacob asked getting to his feet and quickly shutting the window.

'I didn't open it! Why are you blaming me?'

'Well I didn't do it!'

Selmak searched around in Jacob's memories for last night after they went to bed. Just some dream about the moon that was all. Jacob had a nightmare about his fingers growing claws. That was kind of an odd nightmare. But so was the nightmare he had about Selmak bursting through his ribcage. Really, she would never do such a thing to her host. Before probing a little deeper she heard his stomach growling.

'How could you be hungry after everything you ate last night?'

'I don't know...you tell me. Aren't you the one in control of my metabolism?'

Something was not right with her host, he never ate this much. Yet if there was a problem she couldn't figure out what it was. As far as Selmak was concerned Jacob was fine, so was she. But still...

'What's wrong Selmak?'

Damn, him. He's sensitive to her feelings when she doesn't want him to be and oblivious at times when she needed him most. Typical!

'I think we should see Dr. Fraiser today.'

'What? Why?' he asked nervously. 'I feel fine!'

'I feel fine too.'

'Actually, I feel great.'

'As do I. But something has happened to us?'

'Like what?'

'I'm not sure.'

'It can't be that bad. I mean I know my hearing has improved, my sense of smell is more acute and my sense of taste...wow that steak tasted great last night. Together we're stronger and you can heal much faster. So, I'm a little hungry from time to time. What's so bad about all of that?'

'Nothing,' she answered honestly.

'Then why go to the doctor?'

What he said was true. All of his senses and her abilities were improved but she still had a nagging feeling. But in his current mood she wasn't going to convince him. Another approach was required.

'Would it really be that bad to see Dr. Fraiser again?'

'You're changing the subject.'

'True, but I know what you were thinking when you were looking at her legs.'

"Dad!" Sam called through the door.

"I'm up! I need to shower be there in a few!"

'Pancakes! I haven't tasted pancakes yet!' Selmak insisted quickly changing the subject before Jacob objected to her previous comment.

They quickly headed to the door and opened it.

"Sam, can we stop at that all you can eat pancake house on the way in?"

"Sure dad, we have time."

"Thanks!"

'Thank you, Jacob!'

If Selmak had arms she would wrap them around his spinal cord. Instead she let him feel the warmth of her happiness.

Jacob had that warm feeling at the back of his head and he knew his symbiote was content. It was better than when she was mad at him. Then she was like a chunk of ice back there. Takes the meaning of brain freeze to a whole new level.

In the bathroom, he turned the shower on catching a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror and did a double take. Actually he opened then shut the mirror to make sure there was nothing wrong with it.

'Selmak, my scar is gone!'

'What?'

'The scar on my forehead! The one I've I for almost my entire life is gone!'

'Sweet!'

Jacob shook his head and groaned.

'Please, don't start repeating Jack's lines to me. It's bad enough hearing them from Jack!'

'He picked up a few of yours last night!'

'That was funny hearing Holy Hannah come out of his mouth!' Jacob said doing some more inspecting. 'Even my appendix scar is gone. And some of the bullet scars on my chest.'

'What about the ones on your back?'

Jacob turned around, craning his neck to look in the mirror.

'They're gone too. Now why can't you do something about my hairline if you can take care of my scars?'

'I already told you...'

'Oh, nevermind,' he said stepping into the shower.

The whole time Selmak was singing that song, 'Singing in the Rain'. She did it every time they took a shower. And she would sing it over and over. Jacob learned to tune her out because she sang off key and couldn't carry a tune to save their collective asses. Then she suddenly stopped singing when he was slowly drying his chest with a towel.

'What's wrong?' she asked him.

'I used to have more gray hair than that on my chest,' he said combing his fingers through it.

Out of curiosity he looked in the mirror, inspecting the hair on his head.

'You have less gray there too! What ab...'

'Don't even go there! It's bad enough you peek when I'm taking a pee!' he snarled at her.

'You act like I've never seen one before,' she snorted.

'I'm not listening!'

'Fine!'

Jacob suddenly received an image of her flipping him the bird.

'Really Selmak, that's not very lady like. I think I've corrupted you with that one. Listen, I'll put tons of syrup on the pancakes just for you because I know you have quite the sweet tooth.'

She didn't reply but from their emotional bond he could feel she was happy again. Throughout the entire breakfast she was happy and content too. She had Jacob try every kind of pancake there was and found chocolate chip pancakes were her favorite. In fact anything with chocolate was her favorite as far as Jacob was concerned. Whenever the two had an argument he would eat chocolate as a piece offering which is why he always loaded up on the chocolate bars before heading back to the Tok'ra tunnels, they liked to bicker a lot.

Down in the tunnels of the SGC Jacob headed to his quarters to change into his fatigues. The whole time wondering if Sam noticed his scar was gone or noticed that there were fewer gray hairs on his head. She was very quiet during breakfast. Of course he didn't give her much of a chance to talk. His mouth was going nonstop between the eating and the talking like he was full of energy and needed to let it out. Thank God Sam didn't kick him under the table again, that fucking hurt. And all he did was wink at the nice looking waitress when he ordered a drink last night.

Stepping into the elevator he could smell the faint aroma of coffee. God he missed coffee. It was cruel of Selmak not to allow him a sip every now and then. Inhaling deeply he guessed that whoever was in possession of the coffee was in the elevator less than an hour ago.

There was also another aroma that attracted his attention, something much more enticing than the coffee he was craving. The elevator doors opened on the next floor but the aroma wasn't there so he went down to the next floor below. There were lots of smells but he was only interested in one and again nothing that one was missing. It wasn't until he reached level twenty-eight did he exit the elevator. He followed the scent not caring where it would lead him.

He smiled. He should have known he would have ended up in the infirmary. He had forgotten that that was his original destination. This was where the aroma was strongest. He immediately saw the empty cup of coffee at the nurses' station and went to it.

"That's Dr. Fraiser's," the nurse smiled when he picked up the cup.

* * *

Janet turned when she heard her name. There was General Carter getting his coffee fix by inhalation. She still found it amusing that his symbiote wouldn't allow him to drink coffee. But it appears to have not stopped him from getting a small fix by any means possible. 

"Good morning General," she smiled walking to him.

"Good morning Janet," he smiled playfully at her setting her cup down.

"How are you feeling General?" she asked, knowing that General Jacob Carter does not smile like that to anyone nor does he address anyone by his or her first name unless they're old friends or family.

"Fine," he answered, still smiling at her.

"Are you sure?" she asked leading him to one of the infirmary beds.

"Well, Selmak requested I come to the infirmary, but honestly I feel great!"

"If I to run a few tests does Selmak know what we would be looking for?" Janet asked turning to call for Nurse Jennings who was now mysteriously gone from her post.

When she turned back around Jacob was much closer, invading her personal space. Looking up she saw an almost wild look in his eyes.

"Looks like we're all alone," he whispered leaning down and kissed her forehead.

"General..." she said putting her hands on his chest attempting to hold him back.

He kissed her left eyelid.

"Jacob," he insisted.

Then he kissed her right eyelid.

"General..." she said turning her face away from his but she quit trying to hold him back.

"Janet, I really would like it if you called me Jacob," he cooed gently turning her face back to his.

"Jacob, we shouldn't..."

Janet didn't resist when his lips gently pressed against hers. Nor did she struggle as the kiss deepened and his hands slid behind her and down her back.

Their lips remained locked when he lifted her up and set her on the bed. Janet found it much easier this way, no neck ache because he was taller than she was. Now they were on the same level and his mouth was on her neck below her left ear. It lingered there for awhile until his lips found hers again.

They're kissing was growing in intensity when suddenly glass shattered behind them. Breathlessly they both stopped and looked. Janet could hear heavy boots running away and was certain Jacob could hear them too by the way he was smiling.

"I guess we gave them something to talk about," Jacob laughed leaning his forehead against hers.

"Yes, we did," she smiled in total agreement caressing his face.

"You're right, we shouldn't do this here," he whispered kissing her hand tenderly. "My quarters or your office?"

"Jacob, I'm on duty!"

"Let's see my quarters has a bed, but your office is much closer," he smiled wickedly at her.

"What...no flowers or dinner first?"

"Great idea, that way we won't be in a rush! Dinner tonight, I'll pick you up at seven," he said kissing her affectionately on the lips then left her wanting more after he walked away.

"Wait, I didn't even say yes or no," she said before he reached the door.

"Janet, I know your answer is yes because you would have slapped me across the face if you didn't want me to kiss you!"

"Cocky bastard," she said to herself after he left.

Jacob popped his head back in and smiled, "Yes, I am a cocky bastard!"

Janet grabbed the pillow and threw it at him. She could hear him laughing hard as he walked down the tunnel. Hopping off the bed she went over and started cleaning up her broken coffee mug.

"The General seemed very happy, did I miss anything?" Jennings asked with a smile on her face picking up the pillow that was on the floor.

"Where did you go?" Janet asked in mock anger.

"I thought the two of you needed some privacy."

"What gave you that idea?"

"Dr. Fraiser, I've seen you two together in the commissary a couple of times when he's visiting Earth waiting for his daughter. Plus, I saw the two of you flirting the other night after that animal bit General Carter. And just now, the way he was looking at you...I knew you two needed to be alone."

Janet's mouth fell open. She was shocked she never imagined their playful banter would be construed as flirting. The General's an intelligent man, she, an intelligent woman, and both had a sense of humor, the two just seemed to have a lot to talk about whenever there were together. It never crossed Janet's mind that they were flirting. But it was a pleasant surprise when he kissed her.

Nurse Jennings laughed and went to answer the phone when it rang, "Ok, I'll tell her. General Hammond needs you in the briefing room right away," Jennings smiled hanging up the phone then her eyes opened. "Oh, my God!"

"What?"

"On your neck," she giggled pointing.

Janet quickly found a mirror. There was a hickey on her neck. It was faint but definitely noticeable. And Jacob left it in a spot Janet couldn't conceal it unless she used makeup but she didn't have time for that.

"That dirty bastard! He is going to pay for that!"

* * *

If Teal'c hadn't been at Jack's house the Colonel never would have arrived at the SGC on time or at all. He was so hung over he didn't want to move or contemplate how he was going to function today. 

He told Teal'c on the drive over that he was never going out drinking with Jacob again. Well, unless Jake was buying again then it would be ok. After all Jacob had a two star General's salary and could afford it. Jack swore he would pace himself next time they have a drinking contest so hopefully he wouldn't get the splitting headache.

But on such occasions, which were very rare, when Jack came to work hung over there was only one thing to do about it. Go see the doc! Dr. Fraiser had her own special remedy for hangovers. The doc seemed to have a remedy for anything. Jack always thanked God for Janet Fraiser because she was such a good person with a generous heart. And she had spunk too. She knew how to handle him. Whenever he gave her any shit she would always use one of those big needles of hers. Thankfully her remedy for hangovers didn't need to be injected. So without trepidation he headed to the infirmary, immediately after changing out of his civilian clothes, knowing that Janet was on duty.

When he first entered the infirmary Jack saw the nurse's station was vacant. Then turned to see two people making out. More accurately, he saw little Janet Fraiser with her leg wrapped around big bad Jacob Carter. He blinked a couple of times. Then he rubbed his eyes a little. It was still sweet little Janet Fraiser, the doctor everybody thought of as a sister, as a friend, as a wonderful person to just be acquainted with. And she was clinging onto Major Carter's dad, the two star General nobody wanted to fuck with because he could make you piss in your pants like a little boy with a single glare. The two were kissing each other passionately...very passionately. Actually, extremely passionately came to Jack's mind when he stepped back. He was expecting them to rip each other's clothes off any moment. And probably would have if he didn't accidentally bump into the desk.

Jack never ran so fast in his entire life when the coffee cup slid of the desk. The mere thought of being seen by either of those two was enough of a remedy to cure his hangover. And the thought of coming under the wrath of Janet and Jacob combined was more terrifying than going face to face with a Goa'uld wearing a hand ribbon device. Ignoring the pain in his knees Jack sprinted down the tunnel. And he kept running until he turned the corner and bounced of Teal'c. The concrete floor sent a jolt up his back when he landed on his ass.

"Are you alright, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked offering his hand to Jack and helping him on his feet.

"I think I'll be," he said peeking around the corner towards the infirmary doorway. "Good, they didn't see me!"

"Who?"

"You don't want to know!" Jack exclaimed wavy his hands in the air.

"General Hammond has requested our presence in the briefing room."

"Did he say why?"

"He did not."

"Well, let's go see what the man has to say," Jack said glancing back one last time.

When he and Teal'c arrived in the conference room Major Carter was already sitting at the conference table to Hammond's left. Teal'c took the vacant seat beside her. Jack took his usual seat to Hammond's right. Jack felt most comfortable there always feeling too vulnerable with his back to the windows.

"So, what's going?" Jack asked.

"I don't know. We'll find out as soon as Dr. Jackson arrives," Hammond replied as Dr. Fraiser arrived taking a seat beside the Colonel.

Thankfully she didn't notice him glancing nervously at her. So Jack decided to play it cool like he never saw a thing. Only the more he tried not thinking about it the more images of Janet and Jacob kept popping in his head. The more images the more scenarios of coming under Janet or Jacob's wrath kept coming to mind.

"How's your morning going?" he asked Dr. Fraiser while Hammond was asking Major Carter where her father was.

"Fine, thank you," she smiled in her usual way while reaching for a glass of water.

When she leaned back Jack noticed something on her neck and immediately knew what it was. He quickly turned his head away and bit his tongue afraid something stupid would come out of his mouth. Sooner or later it was going to. So he turned to ask General Hammond a question but he wasn't at his seat. He was in his office paging General Carter. Looking across the table Major Carter was busy writing on her note pad and Teal'c appeared to be deep in thought as he waited patiently.

A cold sweat started breaking out on the back of Jack's neck. It took all of his will power not to say anything about the hickey. He so wanted to. The doc didn't even try to cover it up with her lab coat collar making him think she wasn't aware it was there. It was too high up her neck for that to work anyway. But then she put her hand over it for a second and Jack knew she was aware of it. He started chewing on tongue.

'Oh, shit, I'm looking again!' he thought to himself turning his head back and seeing Hammond was back in his seat.

Then in came Jacob with a smirking grin on his face. Jack couldn't tell if Jacob was smirking because it was a General's prerogative to be late or if it was because he and Janet just had a tongue-wrestling contest. Jack was bombarded by images again as the General took a seat beside Teal'c. The man even glanced at sweet innocent Janet and gave her a quick smile before he asked Hammond what they were doing there. Again Hammond repeated the same answer as before.

And again, Jack found himself looking at Janet's hickey. He couldn't take his eyes off it. It was mesmerizing! And mind shattering to think of Janet with Jacob. The pairing never crossed Jack's mind. She was the same age as Jacob's daughter, for crying out loud. And Jacob was a Tok'ra which made him, in Tok'ra years, a teenager? So that would mean he was half Janet's age canceling the idea of her being the Major's age? It was too mind boggling for Jack. He was a man of action.

Jack leaned over to Janet and whispered in her ear, "You have something on your neck."

Suddenly a deep low menacing growl sounded from across the table. Jack and everyone else slowly turned to look at Jacob. The man's neck veins were extended out as far as biologically possible. His deep scowl enhanced his dark narrow eyes as he glared at Jack. The man was so pissed he was sweating heavily.

"Selmak?" Jack asked weakly.

* * *

Jacob's plan to take a cold shower had to be put on hold when he heard George's voice over the intercom system. He desperately needed that shower too. He could feel himself beginning to sweat. But he didn't know if it was because of his extracurricular activities with Janet or because the temperature in the tunnels was becoming unbearable. 

Quickly he used his sleeve to whip the sweat from his forehead before heading up the stair into the conference room. He could smell Janet's perfume, she had just passed by minutes before and he let a smile slip. His mind was filled with images of her in his arms when they were down in the infirmary together. He had been so preoccupied with her he never heard the visitor approaching the infirmary. Or he heard but he didn't want to tear himself away from Janet.

Janet quickly shot him a wicked smile when he sat down and he returned the favor before turning to George.

"What are we doing here?"

"We'll find out as soon as Dr. Jackson arrives," George replied.

George had kept on talking but Jacob wasn't listening anymore. O'Neill was leaning too close to Janet for Jacob's liking. And he suddenly saw O'Neill as a threat. Janet was Jacob's and he wasn't about to let O'Neill threaten what was rightfully his. The need to protect what was his was overwhelming.

A deep low growl escaped his throat causing everyone to look at him. His eyes never left O'Neill as the anger boiled him. He could feel the perspiration rolling down his face.

"Selmak?" Jack asked.

"I do not believe that is Selmak, symbiotes do not growl," Teal'c said.

"Dad?" Sam asked.

Suddenly fiery hot pain flashed through his body. Jacob jerked forward then shot to his feet knocking the chair over. He stumbled backwards until he back was against the window. He could hear his bones popping, all of them felt like thousands of white-hot needles piercing deep within of his body.

Looking down both his hands were changing much like the one did last night. Only this time his arms grew too and not just in length. The muscles in his arms expanding causing the sleeves of his green jacket to rip from the cuff to the shoulder. But Jacob didn't recognize his arms any more. They were covered in sleek black...hair...no fur!

"Holy Shit!" someone shouted.

Jacob's chest heaved and his shirt had become to constricting. He reached up and saw his hand, only it wasn't a human hand anymore. It was similar with long fingers only it was much bigger and covered with soft short black fur with three inch razor sharp claws from each finger. Regardless, he ripped his shirt and jacket off dropping the torn clothes on the floor.

A strange whimper came from his mouth when he tried to call for help. But no one moved. They looked too stunned to even speak. All of them had their mouths gaping wide open. He tried calling for Selmak. He screamed for her inside his mind wondering where the hell she was when he really needed her.

* * *

Still enjoying the memory of eating chocolate chip pancakes Selmak continued sending warm feelings to her kind and generous host. She was content to just go along for the ride as he waltzed through the SGC tunnels. He seemed to be in an unbelievable good mood. And she noticed he wasn't thinking dirty thoughts every time a woman walked by, like he was yesterday. 

This morning he was ignoring them. He even ignored the coffee aroma when his nose caught whiff of a familiar scent. Selmak immediately recognized it as the vanilla fragrance that Dr. Fraiser likes to wear. Jacob on the other hand was so preoccupied with just following the scent he didn't even realize who it belonged to. Selmak knew the particular woman Jacob was going after was the only one her host desired. He had been attracted to her for some time but wouldn't act upon those feelings. Not until recently that is.

Since Jacob was her first male host, Selmak was still learning about the different stages of the male's sexual appetite from a man's perspective. She had all the experience for a woman's perspective and the two at times conflicted. But today there was no mistaking how horny he was. With her host on his mission she decided it was best to give him his privacy. At least until he called for her. Much like they had done before. Sometimes it would be hours before Jacob called her. So Selmak went into her own version of meditation and tuned everything out, almost completely disconnecting her from him. But still connected enough her for host to experience the enhanced pleasures that occurred with the advantage of having a symbiote.

'SELMAK!'

Such a cry of fear and desperation from Jacob scared Selmak out of her slumber. Never before had she felt his heart race out of fright. He was almost like a child crying for her to help him. But then she felt what he was physically feeling. The tingly hot burning sensations throughout his body. The bones themselves were reforming. The muscles grew in strength and capacity. Even his lungs expanded more to accommodate his growing frame. Selmak had to do a double take herself when she saw the black fur on Jacob's arms and the long curved claws from his fingers.

'Jacob, is this one of those Halloween jokes you're known for?' she asked hoping that's what it was.

'No...please make it stop!' he cried falling to his knees.

'Jacob...I'm not doing it! I wouldn't even know where to begin!'

'Help me!' he pleaded looking down at his chest.

Selmak watched as black hairs exploded from his skin starting around his navel and spreading quickly up towards his face. She was too stunned to do anything, she didn't even know what to think when she felt the hairs sprout from his face and over his head.

'Well, that's one way to take care of your hairline!' she joked nervously only Jacob wasn't laughing.

Then Selmak was jolted and almost lost her grip. His cranium grew and changed shape. Suddenly she had a lot more room and could actually stretch out instead of being cramped up around his spinal cord. She was beside herself it was the first time in centuries she could stretch out. She was so giddy with excitement that she momentarily forgot about her host's disposition.

Getting back to Jacob she found he wasn't in pain anymore. His breathing had returned back to normal. Well, normal for his changed state. But she couldn't see anything because his eyes were closed. Then he opened them. Jacob tilted his head down and Selmak watched as he stood on two long powerful legs covered in the same sleek black fur. His pants were torn but still hung snuggly around his thin waistline. And when he stood at full height, Selmak gasped, she was so high up, at least a foot higher than normal.

Then he was back to thinking about Janet. Selmak felt how angry Jacob was that O'Neill was still close to her. Jacob let loose a beastly growl from his gut and out his mouth. It filled the room vibrating the windows. The growl resonated deep within Jacob's chest tickling Selmak and making her giggle. Wow! And she thought he growled wonderfully as a human! This was so much better. His chest was bigger with more lung capacity giving him more power behind his roar.

Then Selmak did some roaring herself. Roaring in laughter that is. She laughed at him when he attempted to jump over the table. The klutz skidded across and landed on his face with a yelp. She instantly felt bad. It wasn't fair for her to laugh at Jacob at this point. He was like a pup using its legs for the first time. Jacob growled and snarled again. His legs wobbled a little when he got back on his feet just as a SF came running in. The stupid idiot just starting shooting despite Hammond yelling for him to hold his fire.

Selmak realized that you could teach an old dog new tricks. Jacob leaped gracefully backwards over the corner of the table, dodging the first bullet. Her host the quick learner. Egieria herself would be proud of such a host despite the fur and fangs. But the second bullet struck Jacob right in the stomach making him yelp and whine.

Instantly Selmak began healing her host taking pleasure in her new healing abilities.

* * *

"Holy Shit!" Hammond exclaimed then quickly added a few Hail Mary's for using a curse word. 

General George Hammond was also of the faith, like a lot of people, 'I'll believe it when it see it.' Only George was having a hard time believing what was happening to his good friend and buddy, Jacob. The man was sprouting fur! Black shiny fur covered his arms and spread like wildfire up his chest and down his back.

Then Jacob's shoulders thickened and his chest grew broader to accommodate the massive arms he now had. And even though he was on his knees, George saw that Jacob's legs were equally impressive in strength and size. If that wasn't impressive enough his face and head were completely covered with black fur.

Hammond instinctively pulled Major Carter to behind him when she got to her feet. The young woman looked terrified and amazed at the same time. Even Teal'c's usual stoned face expression was stunned as he stood beside the General. Glancing to his right George saw the doctor and Colonel sitting with their mouths wide open too shocked to even move. And they all thought they had seen it all.

As Jacob's head began to change shape the bones themselves made a sickening popping noise. No wonder Jacob was whimpering the whole time, the entire process must hurt like hell. With Jacob's mouth wide open, George saw a different set of teeth had formed, fangs included. Then his face changed, it extended to form a long narrow snout accommodating his new set of teeth. Lastly six inch ears sprouted making Jacob's head similar to that of a wolf to fit proportionately with his much larger body.

Suddenly Jacob was quiet. George assumed the transformation was now complete. As Jacob got to his feet he stood at least eighteen to twenty inches taller, if you included the ears. Then he was snarling at Colonel O'Neill again. Leave it to Jack, only he could piss someone off that much that they had to turn wolf on him. There were times Hammond would give anything to rip a roar like that at Jack too.

When Jacob attempted to leap frog over the table his knees hit the side and he slid across. A loud yelp filled the room when he landed face first on the floor. George wanted to laugh but when Jacob started growling again he decided it was better not to. Like he was telling them they had better not fucking laugh at him for being a klutz.

A gun fired, startling Hammond but Jacob was surprisingly quick and nimble enough to dodge the bullet. All though after today, nothing would ever surprise Hammond again!

"HOLD YOUR FIRE!" Hammond ordered just as the SF fired again and Jacob yelp again.

Jacob held his stomach whining. Then his hand...his claw...whatever you want to call it dropped to his side and George saw the bullet hole heal instantly. Must be Selmak's handy work. Suddenly George started wondering what the symbiote was doing or if he was the cause of Jacob's transformation. But he couldn't focus on that thought at the moment. Jacob began snarling and snapping his jaw. He looked pissed for being shot at and roared loudly at them.

Then suddenly he started choking and gagging.

* * *

Thanks to Daniel getting through the checkpoints was easy for Gabriel. All Daniel said was General Hammond was expecting them and they were waved through every checkpoint at each elevator that took them lower into the bowels of the mountain. Gabriel didn't have time to look around because everyone was already waiting for them so he and Daniel were running through the tunnels between checkpoints. 

Emerging from the final elevator Gabriel heard the all too familiar beastly sound of a werewolf in full form. He bolted for the open door grabbing his gun out of habit. Both he and Daniel came into the briefing room, as Daniel called it, to see the biggest werewolf Gabriel had ever laid eyes on.

"Holy Mary Mother of God!" he gasped and quickly did the sign of the cross.

Jacob, the werewolf, stood well over seven feet. In all of Gabriel's encounters no werewolf had ever grown so tall. Or thick! From the photographs of Jacob, Gabriel saw he was a slender man with long arms and legs. But as a werewolf his arms and legs were at least twice as thick as normal. His waist stayed narrow but his chest was broader with a thick neck and bulked up shoulders. His body covered in sleek black fur. But Gabriel could tell he wasn't a young man. This werewolf had white fur on his snout and a little on the chin. When he turned his ears Gabriel could see there were flecks of white hairs on them. His chest had an interesting small pattern of white hair, kind of like an upside down Christmas tree between the pectoral muscles.

Gabriel quickly scanned to see everyone requested for the meeting was present while Jacob was snapping his jaws. He looked pissed about something. Gabriel concluded the SF hit Jacob with a bullet or two. Gabriel quickly put his gun away not wishing to accidentally shoot Jacob himself.

Then Jacob started choking and gagging like something was stuck in his throat. He even reached for his throat, which to Gabriel was odd. Most werewolves didn't do anything remotely human. Finally, after one last deep cough a bullet flew from Jacob's mouth. They all watched it bounce and roll across the table.

"Bloody hell! I've never seen that before!" Gabriel exclaimed raising his eyebrows.

Jacob did another human characteristic by wiping the drool from his mouth with the back of his hand. Then he shook his and and roared an emphatically to everyone. Gabriel was at a loss. This werewolf was not acting like any of the werewolves previously encountered.

"Now what?" Daniel asked.

"I do not know. I was not expecting him to take form so soon after being bitten," Gabriel answered. "What happened just before he changed?"

"He was glaring at me then snapped!" Jack answered finally getting to his feet. "I guess I have that effect on people."

"Quickly, what were you doing?" Gabriel asked as Daniel was explaining something to Hammond.

"He was talking to me," Janet quickly volunteered.

"I see," Gabriel said immediately noticing a mark on her neck.

Jacob was moving again. Jack grabbed Janet in an attempt to pull her to safety.

"Stop, let her go!" Gabriel quickly yelled.

"Are you nuts?"

"Jack if you want to live let her go. It's obvious Jacob sees you as a threat!"

Jacob snapped his jaws ferociously and tossed a chair aside.

"Jack, trust me."

"I don't know who you are?"

"Know anything about wolves Jack?"

"Of course, I've watched Discovery Channel once or twice!"

"Well, Jacob is one big bad alpha male, and you have your hands on his alpha female, now let go of her."

Jack instantly let go and stepped away from Janet.

"Now what?" Jack asked.

Gabriel honestly didn't know. This was the longest he stood in the same room with a living werewolf. They were usually trying to kill him. But this one was definitely different. He had an intelligence that Gabriel could see in his dark beady eyes. Then if Gabriel needed more proof Jacob appeared to finally relax when Jack moved as far away from Janet as he could. Gabriel was surprised, never before has a werewolf been so protective over anything unless it was a meal.

If Gabriel didn't know better, Jacob looked remorseful when he fixed his eyes on Janet. A long soft high pitched whine emanated from him. Then Jacob's hands suddenly reached and grabbed his head. He was shaking it as he staggered backwards a few steps.

"I think he's fighting it!" Daniel observed.

Gabriel had to admit Daniel was right. It was evident Jacob, the werewolf, was fighting the change. Already parts of his body began changing back to his human self.

* * *

Being a medical doctor and a woman of science there are some things that just don't fit into Dr. Fraiser's world. But some times seeing is believing. Janet thought she believed anything was possible working at the SGC. Now, she can honestly say she's seen it all from alien snakes to fur and fangs, from wannabe Gods like Apophis to a wolfman named Jacob. 

When Jacob was shot in the gut her instinct was still to go to his aid. She was a doctor to not give medical treatment to a patient was something she would never dream of, even if that patient was a seven foot black hulking beast of a wolf. But Jack had a tight grip on her arm and wouldn't let go. Thankfully Selmak seemed to take care of the bullet when it was expelled out of Jacob's mouth.

Then to be called an alpha female. Wow, she had to be honored with that one. Out of all the capable women working at the SGC Jacob picked her. But Janet was hoping it had something to do with their flirting. Nurse Jennings was right the two of them, he had flirted with her before and she with him.

There were a few visits when Jacob was waiting for Sam to return to earth when he would sit with Janet in the commissary. He was always the gentleman with her. Their conversations were always witty and engaging. He would even flash that smile of his every now and then. But he was also reserved, never extending himself too far when he flirted. Janet hadn't noticed until another pointed it out.

But Jacob's reserved nature changed after he was bitten. He began acting out on those impulses. Proof by what happened between them a little while ago in the infirmary. Janet didn't try very hard to resist his affections realizing now that deep down inside she wanted him. As far as she was concerned that feeling hasn't changed, even now. The long look Jacob gave her as he whimpered made her want to cry. She understood he was telling her how sorry he was for what just happened even though it wasn't his fault.

Janet was determined to help him and she wasn't going to let anyone tell her otherwise. But she was relieved when he started to change back into his human self. Jacob as a man was fearsome enough. He was downright terrifying as a wolf. As he stood there, she saw him, as a man, frightened about what had just happened to him.

His whole body trembled. Then his eyes roll towards the back of his head and he fell forward. He couldn't just collapse on the spot and make her job easier. No, not Jacob, that would have been too easy. He had to fall forward, his head smacking so loud on the corner of the table that Janet swore she heard the skull crack. She could see his forehead split on impact as it was. Only then after his head bounced off the table did he finally hit the ground.

Not hesitating, Janet quickly went into action. She gently rolled Jacob onto his back she was taking mental notes. His body temperature was hotter than the norm and he was still shaking badly. His skin was also sweaty but she did see him perspire heavily before the transformation. Obviously the body heat is a sign, big mental note on that one.

His stomach had no sign of the bullet wound, nor was she expecting one but she had to be certain. She even noticed his current head wound was already healing. Holding his head in her hand she watched as the wound completely disappeared. She used her lab coat to wipe the blood away seeing there was no trace of the injury. Hopefully that was Selmak's doing, Janet would have to talk with both Jacob and Selmak later.

Looking up she saw that everyone else was still at the far end of the room. But the moment she barked an order they all went into action, even the visitor who came with Daniel. After all, she was the alpha female, right?

And it was time that **everyone** treated her like it!


	6. Chapter Six

**1200 HOURS, OCTOBER 23, EIGHT DAYS UNTIL A FULL MOON**

Sam watched from the observation booth of the isolation room as Janet administered a sedative to Jacob. It had been half an hour and he still hadn't regained consciousness. Sam was beginning to wonder if it had all been a bad dream that she had yet to wake from. Only this was no dream like she ever had or imagined before.

Her dad, a werewolf. It was unimaginable. She couldn't even listen as Daniel's friend Gabriel explained all the abilities a werewolf possesses and so on. She still couldn't get past the fact that her father transformed into this mythical creature before her very eyes. Such a creature had no place in her world of mathematical equations and theories. A world her father himself believed in and was a part of.

Yet, he did change. And now he lay strapped tightly to the bed. Dr. Fraiser protested furiously with General Hammond for even suggesting Sam's father be placed in restraints. It was with great reluctances that the good doctor did as she was ordered. She, and Sam knew, that if the General's order were disobeyed, Janet wouldn't be able to help Jacob at all.

Sam let a small smile slip. Her father and Janet. What a surprise to all of them expect Sam. Janet was her best friend. She knew exactly what kind of woman Janet was. She was an intimidating woman to most men, despite her size. She had spirit much like Sam's mother, precisely the kind of woman who could handle a man like Jacob. The kind of woman he saw as his equal. No wonder he was attracted to her.

Her father's eyes slowly opened and he lifted his head. He didn't look happy about the restraints. Sam giggled quietly to herself when he easily broke free. No one else noticed that he was now wide-awake and walking about.

Only his steps did not have that usual macho Jacob Carter swagger. His confidence had been shaken and his pride bruised something Sam thought was impossible until today. The man in the room was filled with uncertainty in each of his movements. And she could see it in his eyes when they locked onto hers for a brief moment before he quickly turned away, he was afraid.

Then he suddenly fell to his hands and knees grimacing in pain. A bestial roar reverberated through the isolation room capturing everyone's attention. They turned to join Sam and watched Jacob struggling to keep his humanity.

"I can't believe he's awake!" Janet gasped. "I gave him enough to knock out a couple of elephants."

"Seems wolfman Jake's getting a little help from his snake," Jack snorted.

Sam glared at him, as did everyone else. They turned back in time to see Jacob grab the hospital bed then toss it high against the far wall. It came crashing to the floor in a heap.

Parts of him were struggling to change but somehow were being held in check. Jacob screamed even louder until his voice sounded human again. Then he curled up onto his side in a tight ball, repeating his name, rank and serial number over and over.

"Fascinating!" Gabriel said and Sam realized he was standing beside her. "I have never seen..."

Sam was aghast. Who the hell did this guy think he was with his proper British accent and mannerisms? Van Helsing may have been Daniel's friend but he was no friend of hers and definitely not the Colonel's. It didn't matter how handsome Gabriel looked in his black slacks, charcoal gray sweater, and black leather jacket with his neatly trimmed brown hair. He was already the bearer of bad news then had the nerve to stand there gawking at her father like he was some kind of freak show. Sam was pissed!

"That's my father!" Sam growled grabbing him by the flaps of his jacket. "He's name is Jacob Carter! He is not some animal put on display for your amusement!"

After shoving Gabriel hard against the glass Sam stormed out of the booth. No one dared stop her. She wouldn't let them if they tried. All she could think about was that her father needed help. As his daughter, it was her duty to help him. She loved him. She would do anything for him.

When she reached the door to the isolation room she quit trying to fight the tears that desperately were trying fall down her cheeks. And going in, she ignored any danger even the protest from General Hammond. Her father hadn't reacted to her presence. He was still hugging himself while continuing his chant. Quickly and quietly she moved around him gathering up the blanket in her arms. Then she knelt beside him and gently covered him.

"I'm here dad," she sniffled quietly, quickly wiping her tears.

Her hand tentatively reached to touch the back of his head. Jacob quickly sat up, surprised to see Sam so close to him.

"Please go Sam! I don't want to hurt you!" he pleaded with such sadness in his face.

"Dad, I want to help you," she sobbed reaching for his hand but he slid back away from her before she could grab hold.

"I might hurt you!" he said as tears streamed down his face.

"Dad..."

"I'M AFRAID!" he shouted as he voice began to change. "SAM! GO!"

Sam froze. She was torn between running for her life and wanting desperately to help him. She watched helpless as he writhed on the floor until the change just erupted from him. Within a minute he was already getting to his feet and towering over her.

His mouth moved and strange yipping noises came out as if he was trying to tell her something. Then he bolted. Ramming headfirst into the hard concrete wall beneath the observation windows knocking himself unconscious in the process.

A strong hand grabbed Sam by one arm, a different hand her other arm. It was Teal'c and the Colonel gently trying to pull her towards the door as Jacob changed back into his human form.

Sam saw Dr. Fraiser hurry by before the Colonel could grab her. Always the good doctor no matter who, or what, the patient was.

"She's a...formidable woman," Gabriel said when Sam was finally at the door.

"You have no idea," the Colonel said. "Is she safe?"

"I suspect she's safer than you or I."

"And the Major?" Jack asked.

"I'm not sure," Gabriel sighed when Sam looked to him for an answer.

* * *

Gabriel had to admire Dr. Fraiser for how she took control of the situation in the briefing room. The complete disregard she had for her own danger was not reckless when she had hurried to Jacob's side. It was her job, a job she did rather well judging by how everyone listened to her orders, even him. She even had the strength and conviction to challenge General Hammond's orders to put Jacob in restraints, stating her opinion before relenting reluctantly. A woman deserved of being an alpha.

But Gabriel agreed with General Hammond about restraining and sedating Jacob. The General had kept his resolve during such bizarre circumstances. Extremely bizarre for the SGC that is. It was a tribute the man's character. A man Gabriel expected to be in command of a place like this. A man who was now demanding an explanation for what had just happened to one of his best friends.

"Have there been any noticeable changes?" Gabriel first asked.

"Yeah, I'll say...a big one!" Jack scoffed making Gabriel sigh wondering if this guy was really that dense or if it was all an act.

"I mean before today. Has anyone noticed anything different about him? Emotionally, physically."

"His scar," Samantha said sadly. "This morning I noticed the scar on his forehead was gone. And his hair, there was less gray in it."

"That is not unusual," Gabriel sighed. "Werewolves have regenerative powers which enable them to heal injuries."

"Much like a symbiote," Teal'c stated.

"From what I understand, yes. These powers can also cause old scars to heal and in some cases a more youthful appearance."

"He has been acting slightly out of character," Hammond volunteered. "I didn't think anything of it because he was acting much like he did when he was younger."

"Again, that's normal. The change in the body's chemistry, usually adrenaline or endorphin levels are high making the individual feel good and often invulnerable. What about his appetite?" Gabriel asked as Janet returned.

Everyone chimed in a yes on that one. Everyone except Samantha who Gabriel noticed was now staring out the window. She had been very quiet. Too quiet from what he read in her profile. Perhaps it was because she was a woman of science, no room in her world for fantasy. But such fantasies were his facts.

"His metabolism is adjusting. You see a werewolf is a shape shifter. In order for to survive its first full transformation the body requires a lot of fuel. I have seen a few die during the change because their body did not have the necessary nutrients to sustain it. Eventually the body becomes accustomed to the process then it merely requires a regular supply protein to help keep the muscles and tissue ready for each transformation."

The windows vibrated catching Gabriel's attention. He quickly moved near Samantha as the others lined up at the window. Gabriel was amazed as he witnessed a man fighting desperately to keep the wolf inside him at bay.

"I can't believe he's awake!" Janet gasped. "I gave him enough to knock out a couple of elephants."

"Seems wolfman Jake's getting a little help from his snake," Jack snorted.

Gabriel was surprised at how insensitive Jack was. The man had a jibe for anything. He didn't even appear surprised the way everyone was glaring at him. He was a puzzle. A leader, true but still Gabriel couldn't figure out the intelligence of the man. However, Gabriel was more interested in watching the werewolf resist changing. He wasn't in total control but just partial control was a miracle.

"Fascinating! I have never seen..."

"That's my father!" Samantha snapped startling him when she grabbed the flaps of his jacket. "He's name is Jacob Carter! He is not some animal put on display for your amusement!"

For a brief moment Gabriel thought she was going to push him through the glass window. And he believed everyone in the room would have let her do it, especially Jack who was sniggering. Daniel nodded at Gabriel to not say anything so he kept quiet as she quickly released him and bolted from the room. It was safe to assume she was going to her father. Teal'c and Jack followed while the others remained to watch. She entered the room ignoring Hammond's request for her to leave immediately.

"I'm here dad."

"Please go Sam! I don't want to hurt you!"

"Dad, I want to help you."

"I might hurt you!"

"Dad..."

"I'M AFRAID! SAM! GO!"

Gabriel's mouth fell open as Jacob changed. That was the fastest transformation...ever. This werewolf was nothing like anything Gabriel had ever encountered. His mind pondered why this werewolf was so special and came to a conclusion rather quickly.

There was only one explanation, the symbiote. Gabriel didn't know enough about how the symbiote effected a human body but the effects on a werewolf were astonishing. It could explain why this werewolf was so much larger, why his regenerative ability was faster. He was even more powerful. Maybe part of the reason why the werewolf...why Jacob could partially control the change. It could even explain why the werewolf was able to change before the night of its first full moon.

The windows vibrated again when Jacob's head impacted against the wall below them. Janet immediately started running out and Gabriel quickly went after her, catching her in the hallway. He knew exactly where she was going too.

"Janet, it may not be safe! I cannot let you go near him."

"It's Dr. Fraiser and Jacob is my patient!" she growled yanking her arm from his grip.

* * *

Janet was just praying Jacob didn't break his neck. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw him lay motionless, in his human form, face down on the floor. She finally let out a sigh of relief when she felt the strong pulse on his neck.

"Doctor, how is he?" Hammond asked over the intercom.

"He's alive. Breathing...normal. Pulse is strong and steady."

"Perhaps you should leave now."

"With all due respect, sir. I can't. Not until his injury is healed," she insisted looking at the rather large lump on his forehead.

"Very well," Hammond sighed. "In the meantime, I think we should clean up the mess. Leave the mattress, pillow and blanket."

"Teal'c and I can take care of it, sir!" Jack offered.

"Bring the mattress and blanket over here," Janet said and watched as the two men hesitated. "Colonel!"

"He's not going to bite is he?" Jack asked picking up the pillow.

"Colonel just do it!" Hammond yelled over the intercom making the Colonel wince.

The Colonel, even Teal'c quickly pulled the mattress next to Jacob's unconscious body then abruptly left, leaving Janet alone. She wasn't a lone for long. Daniel's friend came over and offered his assistance. Together they lifted Jacob onto the mattress.

"I want to apologize for my behavior, Dr. Fraiser," he said. "I meant no offense."

"Shouldn't you be apologizing to Sam! This is her father," Janet snapped as they covered Jacob with the blanket.

"I already apologized to her. Now I'm apologizing to you," he smiled sincerely.

Janet sighed and hung her head, "I'm sorry, this has been a bizarre and exhausting morning."

"No apology necessary doctor."

"Janet?" Jacob spoke softly and slowly opened his eyes.

"Yes, Jacob," she said motioning for Gabriel to leave which he quickly did.

"Who was that?"

"A friend of Daniel's," she smiled gently touching his face.

"Janet, please don't let Sam in here again. I'm afraid I might hurt her...I could never...if anything ever happened to her!" he jabbered.

"Shh, I'll tell her."

"You shouldn't be in here either. I don't want to hurt you either."

"I'm afraid you're stuck with me," she smiled. "I am your doctor and I'm not going anywhere."

"So, doc, do you want to tell me what's going on?"

"Dr. Fraiser can you come up to the booth," Hammond ordered.

Both Janet and Jacob sighed.

"You better go," Jacob smiled taking hold of her hand. "I don't want you to get on George's bad side. He can be an animal too!"

"Is there anything I can get you? Water, something to eat?"

"I am very thirsty."

"I'll bring you some water as soon as I can," she smiled touching his face again.

* * *

Jack was sure of it. He didn't like Daniel's friend. The man was too proper, too neat and clean cut. Too pompous. And his accent, Jack couldn't get over it. He had a hard enough understand the actual words that were coming out of the man's mouth and the accent only made it worse. Yep, Jack was sure of it, he didn't like Gabriel.

"So, now what?" Daniel asked after Dr. Fraiser finally arrived.

"I require a sample of his blood and I need to understand exactly how the symbiote affects his body," Van Helsing said.

"I can't believe you told him about that little snake," Jack whispered to Daniel then saw Major Carter's eyes narrow at him.

"I had to," Daniel shrugged.

"Why do you need his blood?" Dr. Fraiser asked.

"Because this wer...," Van Helsing started to say then glanced at Major Carter. "Because Jacob is unique. I need to understand why. His blood contains the wolf's venom, the disease that causes him to transform. I need to examine it for any changes."

"Wolf's venom?" Jack asked.

"The moment Jacob was bitten his blood was infected."

"But the symbiote usually takes care of any foreign agents in a hosts body," Janet countered.

"Maybe Selmak's been infected too," Daniel suggested.

"I don't know enough about a symbiote but I do know what happens to the human body when it changes. And Jacob is different. There are many different kinds of werewolves but with Jacob...well I have never seen a werewolf grow so much in size. And he seems to retain some of his human characteristics. I have never seen that before in a werewolf, they usually act like wild animals."

"And you think it has to do with the symbiote," Daniel stated making Gabriel shrug his shoulders.

It was all to mind boggling for Jack. All he knew was that Major Carter's dad could grow fur with very sharp looking teeth and claws. An ability many of his previous commanding officers would have loved to have when Jack was being a pain in the ass. He definitely knew Hammond was jealous of Jacob because of that new growl!

"Someone needs to tell him," Major Carter sighed sadly.

Poor Carter. Jack could see this was a strain on her. He couldn't possible imagine what the psychological effect it had on her seeing her father transform into that wolf. Jack about shit his pants when Jacob the wolf started snarling and snapping at him. Jack swore it was the last time he would ever piss Jacob off.

"Samantha, there is a cure," Gabriel spoke softly taking her hand in his. "I have a friend, in London, who is trying to locate it as we speak."

Damn. This man was perspective too. He saw how tense Sam was. Jack only knew because she had that little crease in her forehead she would get when worried. Jack was pissed at himself for not saying anything to her. But then he never could say much to Carter, she was his second in command. There was an emotional detachment that was required because they were in the Air Force. Still, he wished he said something she was a member of his team and the team was like a family.

"There's a cure?" Hammond asked.

"We didn't want to say anything because we didn't know where it was yet," Daniel said.

"We need to tell my father. He has a right to know what's happening to him and that we can help him."

"I don't think it should be you Samantha," Gabriel said.

"Why not? She is his daughter for crying out loud!" Jack insisted.

"Precisely why she should not be the one. You saw what happened, the strain was too much for Jacob."

Jack knew Gabriel was right. Carter did too because Jack saw her shoulders sag. He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder for comfort.

"Jacob asked that you not go in there Sam," Janet said sadly. "He's afraid he might harm you."

"Then who?" Jack asked but for once he already knew the answer.

Everyone knew the answer and looked at Janet. No wonder Jacob fell for her. She was a tough lady and didn't shirk from her duty as Jacob's doctor. Of course Jack also had a feeling she was probably the only one who was safe with Jacob judging from what happened in the briefing room earlier.

They all went to the window and watched as Dr. Fraiser took some of Jacob's blood. The man seemed much calmer now as he sat quietly. It was probably Janet's presence. Jacob's hand gently touched hers. Yep, Jack knew it was because of Janet's presence that Jacob was less of an animal. He even let out a hearty laugh when she told him of his condition.

"At least he's taking the news rather well," Jack said trying to be optimistic and was rewarded by a small smile from the Major.

* * *

A werewolf! And not just any kind of werewolf, Jacob was a symbiote-enhanced mutant of a werewolf. No other werewolf was like him. He couldn't believe his ears. If it had been anyone but Janet telling him he would have thought they were pulling his leg.

At least now he knew he wasn't going crazy. Not too long ago he thought he was losing his mind. The transformation scared the hell out of him. Jacob was a man who prided himself on being in control and he couldn't control what his own body was doing.

Suddenly he wasn't afraid anymore. Or maybe it was Janet's perfume still lingering in his nose that was keeping him calm. He wouldn't want to be tested if O'Neill walked in. Jacob might rip the man to shreds, he knew George wanted to from time to time.

'Selmak, you've been very quiet. Are you ok?'

'Yes, Jacob'

'Why are you sad?'

She didn't reply. That wasn't like her, not at all. The old gal always had something sarcastic to say. She even managed to joke about his hairline when he was changing.

'What's wrong?'

'I don't want to be cured! I like these new abilities!'

Jacob chuckled and shook his head. Selmak sounded like a child with a new toy. And now that toy was being taken from her.

'What if we learn to control it?' she asked excitedly making him laugh out loud again.

'What if we can't? If we're not cured we stay in this room. What about Sam? Our friends? What about Janet? Think of the strain that would be on them if we're not cured.'

Selmak was quiet again. Most of the time when she was quiet, she usually was thinking deeply. Only this time she was depressed.

'Cheer up girl! Next time Janet comes round, I'll have her bring us some chocolate cake.'

'Cake! I like cake!'

'I know.'

'That's her now!' she said excitedly when the door unlocked.

Jacob rolled his eyes at his symbiote telling her to calm down as he got to his feet. Sure enough in came Janet with her arms full of pillows and an extra blanket.

"I thought you could use some extra pillows and blankets since you're forced to sleep on the floor," she smiled then noticed folded T-shirt on the floor and asked, "Why didn't you put it on?"

"Why bother? If I change, I'm just going to rip it off anyway,'" he smiled taking some of the load from her.

They were quiet as she helped him make up his bed. His mind had wondered to what transpired between the two of them earlier in the infirmary.

"I'm sorry I won't get to take you out to dinner," he spoke softly when they were done.

"I'll take a rain check," Janet smiled.

Jacob sat down and let out a heavy sigh.

"What's going on? I haven't seen you or anyone for a while."

"A lot happened after we examined your blood. It seems the naquadah fused with the wolf venom causing it to mutate," she answered sitting beside him.

"So that's why I'm a big bad wolf," Jacob smiled wickedly.

Janet laughed, "It's good to see you back to your cocky self."

Jacob felt her hand slip under his and he gently interlaced his fingers between hers.

"Daniel left with his friend an hour ago. Teal'c went with them, the Colonel insisted saying Daniel wasn't going anywhere unless a member of SG-1 was with him."

"Jack's a good man...as long as he stays away from what's mine."

"That was your fault!"

"What?"

"If you hadn't given me this," she said showing him the mark on her neck. "The Colonel was acting a little squirrelly and I was hoping he hadn't seen it. But then he leaned over and you growled at him."

"I'm sorry," he laughed touching her neck with his fingertips.

He leaned in closer to her but hesitated for a moment afraid she might not want him to because of what he is. Only she didn't back away, so he kissed her lips. Then he quickly pulled away.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

"Why...I'm not," she cooed caressing his face.

"You're not afraid of me?"

"You, you're a puppy dog," she smiled.

Jacob laughed wrapping his arms around her and held onto her tight. He felt a gentle nudge from Selmak reminding him about the cake he promised. When he started to speak, Janet was trying to say something too at the same time.

"You first," he sighed sitting back so he could look at her lovely face.

"I have a parent teacher conference at Cassie's school tonight."

"You should go then."

"I can reschedule."

"Janet, she's your daughter. She should come first. I'll be alright. I'm not going anywhere."

"I've already arranged for her to stay at a school friend's house until Halloween night."

"Confident, I'll be cured by the deadline? And you say I'm cocky," he smiled making her laugh.

"After tonight, I'll remain here at the SGC until you're cured."

"You don't..."

Her hand touched his mouth silencing him.

"I want to."

"Do me a favor before you leave? I promised Selmak some chocolate cake. The SF who brought me my dinner had eaten some, I could smell it."

"Sure, no problem. I'll be back in a few minutes."

As promised, Janet returned with two pieces of cake, one for Jacob and the other for Selmak. Then she was gone. But her presence was still with him as he sat quietly on his bed resting his arms on his knees. He remained that way for hours.

'What are you thinking?' Selmak finally asked.

Jacob looked up towards the high ceiling. There was a vent just below the ceiling.

'I'm thinking I can make that jump,' Jacob answered.

'The cameras have been turned off but there's still a guard in the observation booth.'

'It's only one guard. He's young. I am a General, I can easily intimidate him into bring me some water. After he brings it, we can escape before he's back in his seat.'

'And we'll have the bed made to look like you're sleeping in it!'

'The lights are already dim so unless they walk over to the bed...'

'Which they won't because they're afraid you'll bite them!' Selmak giggled.

'They won't know we're gone.'

* * *

All was quiet. It was 2300 hours when Jack returned to the SGC. He felt he wasn't disobeying Hammond's order by going home then coming back. After all Hammond said to go home, he didn't say anything about staying home.

First thing Jack did was check on Jacob. The SF guarding him said he had given General Carter some water an hour ago. And that he had been sleeping ever since. Satisfied Jack went to get a few hours of sleep in one of the guest quarters on this level. The whole time no one realized that Jacob was long gone.

* * *

'STOP!' Selmak shouted in Jacob's mind.

She was getting used to his werewolf form and she could feel he was beginning to enjoy it. They were so free as they ran through the forest faster than any creature inhabiting it. Sometimes running on two legs, sometimes on all four, depending on the terrain. They had been running for nearly an hour when she had suddenly made him stop. Jacob came to a sliding halt on all fours ripping up someone's lovely green grass in the process.

'What?' he asked.

'There, the flowers! You wanted to bring her flowers, remember?'

'Right! Thanks Sel!'

Jacob with his big black clawed hand gently plucked some of the roses.

'Ouch!'

'What is it Jacob?'

'A thorn poked my tongue!'

Selmak roared in laughter thinking what a thorn her host has been in so many people's sides.

* * *

The moment he was out in the cold fresh air, Jacob's senses were bombarded with the life of the forest. It was completely different than being inside the stale dry tunnels underground. Outside his senses were so much more alive. The smell of the trees, the grass, even the dirt filled his nose. He could hear the small animals scurry away when he approached. And he could see! Wow, he could see everything in the shadows and see them clearly.

Exhilarated Jacob took off running welcoming the change when it happened. Then he senses were further enhanced. It was all so exciting. He was so much more agile and could move so quickly across the mountain terrain. He had a strong urge to howl at the moon but refrained because he didn't want to be discovered. So he pushed on at a heart-pumping pace.

* * *

A soft thud woke Janet. She had always been a light sleeper. Quickly she turned the lamp on to illuminate the room so she could investigate.

"Jacob!"

"Please...don't be angry!" he said moving away from the wide-open window.

Janet noticed that wild look in his eyes again. But it seemed to fade away quickly replaced by tenderness. She also noticed he was trembling and sweating. The shorts he was wearing were slightly torn along the seams. And his hands were filthy and his bare feet were covered with mud that was tracked on her clean cream colored carpet.

"Jacob! Look at the mess! I just had the carpet shampooed," she said getting up, pulling her robe on over her nightgown and quickly shoving him into her bathroom.

"I'm sorry. I'll pay to have it cleaned again."

"You better!"

"I just had to see you again."

"Don't tell me you escaped!"

"I did," he smiled proudly. "I had to bring you these!"

Janet smiled taking the bundle of roses from his hand.

"I'm afraid I might have slobbered on them a little," he smiled sheepishly. "I was going to leave them on your pillow then go back to the SGC."

"You came all this way just to give me flowers?" she asked surprised.

"Well, I felt really bad about not being able to keep our date."

"I wasn't holding it against you Jacob."

"Janet, I've screwed up in my past by being late or not being there. I don't want that to happen again...not with you."

Janet blushed. The she laughed at him. It was hard not to. He looked so adorable with a dopey grin on his face. Now only if he was a little cleaner.

"Thank you," she smiled after composing herself. "Why don't you shower while I'll clean up some of the mess. Then I will take you back to the SGC."

"You're welcome," he whispered kissing her cheek.

In fifteen minutes, her floor was vacuumed but the dirt stains were permanent until the rug was cleaned, again. Thankfully Cassandra was already at her friend's house and wasn't around for all the commotion. Janet was making enough noise rummaging around in her bedroom closet trying to find the box with some clothes that should fit Jacob.

"Need any help?"

Janet didn't even hear his approach and jumped at the sound of his voice.

"I'm sorry," he smiled standing there with a towel wrapped snuggly around his waist.

"I was trying to find some clothes for you."

"No luck?"

"No," she sighed. "I'm curious, how did you escape?"

"A vent. It took me to a ladder that runs all the way up to the surface."

"And my window?" she asked moving to the window and pulling it down leaving it open a few inches. "This is the second floor, there's no way unless you had a ladder."

"Or werewolf abilities, I jumped," he shrugged. "It was easy, just like the vent."

"You, are just full of surprises!" she said poking his rib.

"Janet!"

"That's right, you're ticklish!" she smiled poking his other side making him retreat.

Janet had Jacob flustered. He was trying not to laugh but wasn't doing a good job at. Nor was he defending himself well against her as she continued to tickle him. She harassed him until they toppled onto the bed with her falling on top of him. Both were laughing uncontrollable for a few moments until both were silently gazing into each other's eyes. Janet kissed his forehead, then the tip of his nose. Then she kissed him on the lips...hard. He returned her kiss rolling over on top of her.

* * *

Hitting the Indiglo button on his watch, Jack saw it was almost four thirty in the morning. Good enough time to get up and within fifteen minutes he was enroute to the commissary, cleaned and shaved. Ready for a cup of coffee. When he arrived, he was not at all surprise to see Major Carter working on her cup with an empty plate in front of her.

"Good morning Major," he said filling a cup with hot coffee. "Check on dad yet?"

"An hour ago, he was still sleeping."

"An hour? Did you go home last night, Hammond ordered us."

"I went home. I just came back an hour after I left."

"I waited two hours. Let's go check on dad," he said then took a sip of his coffee.

Sam smiled grabbing her cup. Together they walked silently though the tunnels until they reach isolation room one. The same SF was still on duty.

"He still hasn't moved sir," the man said.

"May be we should wake him up," Jack smiled turning the lights up.

"I don't know sir. Dad gets grouchy in the morning."

"He's already grouchy with me, so what's the difference," Jack said pushing the intercom button. "Rise and shine sleepy head."

Sam smiled then drank the last of her coffee tilting her head back.

"Oh shit!"

"Major Carter!" Jack exclaimed.

"Dad, please don't tell me..." she started saying and ran out of the room.

Curious, Jack quickly followed her.

"Whoa! Hold on! Janet's not around to tame him!"

"Sir, I don't think my dad's in there!" she said swiping her card to open the door.

A moment later.

"What?"

Sam didn't answer him but Jack followed her in. To protect her from dad, of course. Both cautiously approached the bed.

"Oh Crap!" Jack exclaimed seeing that Jacob was not in his bed.

"Up there sir."

"Damn! Seems wolfman Jake has some new abilities he didn't share with us."

Sam glared at him.

"Sorry Carter. Well, I can think of only one little alpha female he's probably huffing and puffing to get too."

Jack quickly left before the Major gave him shit about what just came out of his mouth. She followed him back to the observation booth where Jack made a phone call.

"Good morning Janet, did I wake you?...Sorry. Listen, Jacob's escaped...I was wondering if you had seen him or maybe heard him howling at the moon nearby?....No...You'll call if you do? Ok, see you later."

Jack believed her. He had no reason not to believe Janet.

"Carter, why don't we take a few teams a search the grounds," he ordered. "Let's hope he out looking for the three little pigs and not little miss red riding hood!"

* * *

Jacob inhaled deeply filling his nose with her sweet scent. Then he sighed snuggling closer to Janet, cupping her body with his under disheveled the sheet covers. Opening his eyes he saw it was almost five in the morning. Time he should be going. Only he didn't want to leave her. But he knew he had to, he didn't want her to get in trouble. Yet he couldn't leave. He affectionately kissed her bare shoulder that was close and tempting him.

"Jacob, we've only been asleep for an hour," she whispered.

"I'm refreshed!" he whispered kissing her neck.

"You animal!" she joked turning in his arms to face him.

Jacob chuckled, "That's funny, you weren't complaining earlier when I growled!"

"Jacob!" she exclaimed making him laugh harder.

He kissed her deeply on the lips while feeling her arms pull his body tight against hers. Then the phone by the bed rang. They ignored it. Another ring. Jacob reluctantly lifted his head and growled at it. It rang again oblivious of his protest.

"It's probably about you," she smiled touching his face.

"You should answer it then," he said sadly then nestled his head on her chest.

"Hello...Yes Colonel!...Escaped...No, I haven't seen him...Ill call if I see him. Bye."

"Why did you say that?" Jacob asked looking up surprised.

"Because you're not a threat to me. And I plan on taking you back to the SGC myself."

"I can't let you take me back."

"Why not, I'm your doctor!"

"Janet, I don't want you to get in trouble. What happens if they find out I was here all night? I can make it back. It's still dark outside and no one will see me if I leave now."

"Bu..."

He quickly kissed her, silencing her in the protest.

"God help me I'm in love you Janet Fraiser," he whispered in her ear, kissed her tenderly on the lips then quickly got out of bed.

* * *

Her hearted fluttered. Janet wasn't expecting him to say those words to her. But he did and now he had to leave. She stood there in the bathroom, speechless, watching Jacob put his torn shorts back on. He told her that he loved her and she didn't know what to say.

Janet began to tremble and hugged herself. Only she wasn't cold in her thick robe. She was overwhelmed by his words. His arms wrapped around her holding her tight. And suddenly she didn't want him to leave.

"It's better this way," he sighed resting his head on top of hers. "This way I'm the only one who gets in trouble."

She clung to him tightly.

"Promise me you'll be careful," she managed to say.

"I promise," he said kissing her forehead. "Will I see you later?"

"I have to be on duty by eight," she sighed looking up at him.

"Sorry, you won't get much sleep."

"You're are not sorry!" she smiled devilishly at him.

"Well...actually you started it. I was just here to deliver some flowers!"

"Jacob, I am a lady," she said pretending to be astonished.

"Right!" he said then hugged and kissed her for the last time before leaving.

"Jacob!" she shouted grabbing his arm when he stuck his leg out her window.

"Janet, don't worry. I won't hurt myself," he smiled kissing her hand. "See you in a little while."

With that he dropped down from the second story window and landed gracefully with a soft thud on his feet. Looking down she saw he was smiling up at her. She returned the smile even as he was transforming. His nose sniffed the air searching then started to go.

"JACOB!" she yelled quietly.

He quickly stopped and looked back.

"I love you too!"

Jacob's howl was deep and soulful but it still made her laugh. She laughed even harder when every dog in the neighborhood started howling too.

"Better go Jacob!" she whispered.

Then Jacob was gone and she was alone. Janet smiled pulling the window back down to where she had it before. She didn't feel alone. His presence was still with her, evident by his footprints on the rug and by the blanket and pillows on the floor. Her smiled widened. Somehow one pillow managed to stay on the bed during their lovemaking. They had shared it when they finally fell into an exhausted sleep.

Falling onto the bed, Janet clung to that pillow nuzzling her head on it. She was wide-awake. No way she was going to fall asleep now. All she could think about was Jacob. And hoped he would make it back to the SGC safely.

"You know, by the time they actually show up here I can still be long gone!"

Janet didn't even have a chance to be shocked because Jacob was already kissing her and removing her robe.


	7. Chapter Seven

The flight had been long from Denver to London. But it had given Daniel the chance to catch up on the sleep he desperately needed. After a brief layover at Heathrow it was off to Burcharerst, the capitol of Romania. Carl, Gabriel's trusted friend, had already reached Burcharerst ahead of them in order to make preparations for their arrival with a local contact of the Order.

When they met Carl at the airport Daniel immediately liked him. He was a friendly fellow, a computer genius but not the adventurous type. Rulers were important to him but loyalty to his friends was greater. Still, it didn't stop him from complaining to Gabriel, at length, about how the Order would not approve of their actions. In fact he and Gabriel debated the entire two hour drive from Burcharerst to the small town of Cimpina located in the foothills of the Transyvanian Alps, the starting point of their journey to find the cure for Jacob.

There wasn't much to see during the late night hours in Cimpina when they finally arrived at the lodge. From what Gabriel told Daniel it was a summer resort town. A major petroleum center connected by the oil pipeline with Ploiesti and with the port of Constanta on the Black Sea. Currently, only the locals and four strangers on a quest occupied the town.

The town itself was nestled in the towering shadow of the Transylvanian Alps. Even at night they were majestic rising up so high they appeared as if their crystalline snow covered peaks might touch the moon. Daniel would have found the sight breath taking if it wasn't for the chill that ran up and down his spine.

For as impressive as they were, the mountains were equally as menacing. Their dark shadows hiding an ominous presence. An eerie presence that could be felt even at this distance as if it were reaching out to Daniel and letting him know that he was expected, a foreboding of an evil that awaited them.

"This isn't going to be anything like Egypt is it?" Daniel asked finally following Teal'c and Gabriel into the local tavern.

"No. There is an ancient evil that dwells on the farside of the Fagaras Forest."

"I'm afraid to ask, what kind of ancient evil?"

Gabriel didn't answer right away. He quickly ordered them their dinner with drinks and waited for the hostess to leave. When he spoke he lean forward and lowered his voice so only Daniel and Teal'c could here him.

"His name is Viktor, one of the oldest living vampires. A noble born around 400 BC. It is said that he is the closest the Order has ever come to locating the original vampire. Which is why he is still alive. The Order hopes that by keeping him alive, one day we would find his maker."

"He is from..." Gabriel stopped as their hostess brought them their drinks. "He is from a time when werewolves used to be the protectors of vampires. An in return for their services the werewolves were provided with wealth, food, or whatever each desired. They were two great societies coexisting together in a secret world within our own."

"You said werewolves used to be the protectors of vampires, what happened?" Daniel asked sniffing his ail before taking a sip.

"The entire story is not known, but something transpired around the birth of Christ. And Great War was fought between werewolves and vampires lasting nearly a century. Both sides were equally decimated until the vampires developed a vaccine that neutralized the wolf and turning the tide of the war. When a wolf is returned to his human form his is vulnerable and is as easy to prey upon as you or I."

"Obviously not all werewolves had been neutralized," Teal'c said just as their dinner arrived.

"No, they're true numbers are not known. However, over the centuries their blood had been tainted, each generation growing weaker. A genetic degeneration, reducing them to the mere animals that I hunt in today's times. A far cry from their magnificence as a vampire's equal yet still deadly enough to kill if a vampire were caught unawares."

"But there are few vampires left from that time, what the Order calls pure bloods, all created by the original vampire. Unlike a werewolf, a vampire's blood is not tainted. Even a vampire who is not of pure blood is still equally as powerful as its master. And werewolves live only as long as the average man, a mere fraction of a vampire. Vampires live for as long as they are able sustain their life by drinking the blood of their prey, living perhaps centuries or at least until I ram a stake through their heart and lop of their head."

Daniel noticed Teal'c raised his eye brows at Gabriel's last comment. No doubt he considered Gabriel's methods barbaric. Actually, Daniel did too. There was nothing like mowing down a few Jaffa with a P90 or a staff weapon. Not that Daniel ever really enjoyed killing it was a necessity. But Gabriel stated it as a matter of fact because Daniel knew Gabriel didn't enjoy killing either.

"Eat, Daniel. You need your strength. We all do. Tomorrow morning at dawn we leave traveling by the protection of the daylight. Oh, by the way, have you been keeping up with your horse riding skills?"

"Horse riding!" Daniel exclaimed almost choking on his food.

"I guess that means no," Gabriel joked to Daniel.

"Why horses, why not drive?"

"There are no roads where we're going. Horses will be the only way. It will take most of the daylight to reach the Bucegi Ridge, which lies beyond the forbidden forest, a place no one dares every venture into. At the ridge we will camp and wait until dawn the next day before entering Viktor's castle."

"That would only give us one day to actually find the cure for General Carter," Teal'c said.

"Yes, I am aware," Gabriel sighed. "I understand you are both anxious to help Jacob. But you must trust my judgement and pay heed to my warnings. The land we are venturing into is untamed and unnatural. Follow my lead, have faith and together we will find the wolfbane serum needed to cure your friend."

"I only hope that when we get the serum to Dr. Fraiser she can modify it to cure Jacob," Daniel sighed.

"I have every confidence in Dr. Fraiser's abilities," Teal'c said.

"Your friend is right Daniel. Dr. Fraiser is a capable woman. And love is the purest and strongest of motivations."

Daniel chuckled to himself. Indeed, Dr. Fraiser was well motivated and obviously cared deeply for Jacob and he for her. Janet and Jacob. Daniel never saw that one coming. No one did. Not even General Hammond. Only Sam was the one not surprised. But Daniel couldn't tell if Sam was happy about the couple or not.

Currently Sam was more concerned about her father's condition. Daniel saw how hard it was for her not being able to help. Especially knowing that with each passing day until the full moon, Jacob would find it harder to resist the change. By Halloween Jacob might not be able to resist at all. And if he is not cured by midnight on Halloween he will live the rest of his life as a man and beast.

Daniel wasn't going to allow that to happen. Jacob was his friend as were Sam and Janet. He knew he must not fail them. And he was determined, no matter what strange encounters he knew were ahead of him, that he would do whatever it takes.

* * *

It was still somewhat dark for six thirty in the morning with the sun taking its time rising to the east. As he drove, George wondered if he was actually going to see the sun today because he hadn't seen it since Jacob arrived three days ago. 

What a night that had been with Jacob getting attacked. Followed by the misfortune of SG-1's capture and then their miracle escape this time with help from Jacob and Bra'tac. Then if all that hadn't been enough for George, his good friend Jake turned into a monster, a real honest to God monster with claws, fangs, and fur! And Dr. Jackson broke protocol by telling his friend, Gabriel, about the Stargate program and the Tok'ra.

Just thinking about all that paperwork gave George a headache. Or may be he just needed a cup of coffee. Actually he needed a vacation. A few days off after Jacob gets cured sounded like a great idea. In fact, that was his first order of business for this morning put a requisition in for a few days vacation.

"What the hell!" George shouted slamming on the brakes and swerving when an animal tore across the road and disappeared into the trees.

George didn't quite get a good look. All he saw was a huge black streak flash in front of his car. But when he started thinking about what he saw his headache started getting worse.

"Jacob, you better still be in the isolation room," he said to himself pressing down on the accelerator a little harder.

By the time George reached the SGC he had a migraine. The more he thought of that animal being Jacob the more it made sense. If he needed more proof, he could see it in Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter's faces as they stood waiting for him at his parking spot. His jaw clenched and his grip tightened on the steering wheel so hard the whites of his knuckles were showing as the car slowly came to a stop.

"Before you say anything, we did go home sir," Colonel O'Neill said quickly as he opened George's door.

"Don't tell me he escaped," George stated, not carrying if either of them went home or not.

"Ok, I won't tell you, sir."

Hammond sighed, "How long as he been gone?"

"At least eight hours, sir," Major Carter answered.

"Did you call Dr. Fraiser?" he asked as they headed into the complex.

"She hadn't seen him, sir but I sent a couple of guys to her house just in case. I also have three teams still searching the premises. They haven't turned up anything yet," O'Neill said.

"Do we at least know how he escaped?" Hammond asked pushing the elevator call button, the doors opening instantly.

"The vent in the isolation room. Apparently he could reach it," Carter answered as they stepped in.

"And no one noticed he was gone for eight hours?"

"The SF on duty gave him some water, leaving his post for only a moment. He said he handed it personally to Jacob and assumed he was asleep when he returned to his post. The bed had been made to look like someone was sleeping in it. Carter was the one who noticed the vent's cover was gone."

"I believe my father will come back sir. He wants to be cured."

"Yes, I know he does. But is he totally in control of all his faculties? Who knows what kind of stress this is having on him," Hammond said.

* * *

'Shit, that was George!' Selmak exclaimed as Jacob zigzag through the trees. 

'No kidding Selmak! He almost hit us!'

'Do you think he recognized you?'

'I would assume he did. How many big black werewolves are there on Cheyenne Mountain?'

'He never would have seen us if you had not gone back to see Janet for one more passionate moment!'

'Selmak! Janet said she loved me. I couldn't leave her hanging like that.'

'But you said it first.'

'Yeah, I know I did.'

'It's about time! I was getting tired of you dancing around the feelings you had for her!'

'What do you want...a medal for being right?'

'That would be great! Do I get to pick the color?'

'Smart ass!'

'Proud of it!'

Jacob came to a sliding stop leaving a dust cloud behind him when they finally reached the hatch they escaped through last night. Selmak watched as Jacob's big hands opened it.

'Jacob, aren't you forgetting something?'

'Like what?'

'You need to change back. You'll never fit in the vent.'

'Oh...right. Thanks Sel.'

Selmak quickly scrunched back up tightly around his spinal cord knowing it was going to get cramped within Jacob's head again. Once comfortable she listened for the bone popping. She actually liked it when he changed, the sensation tickled her and she looked forward to each transformation. Only this time she was still waiting.

'Jacob!'

'Sel...I'm beginning to like it this way. It's so much more fun!'

'Yes, Jacob I completely understand. I like it this way too. But remember Sam and your family. You won't ever get to see your grandkids again. You might not ever get to make love with Janet again.'

'Oh crap! I wouldn't want that to happen!'

'What, not seeing the grandkids or making love to Janet?' Selmak teased him.

'Both!'

'Good answer, now hurry up. I'm sure George is ready to blow a gasket.'

* * *

The morning had been busy with the search for her father and showed no signs of slowing down when General Hammond arrived. He seemed calm, except his face was slightly flushed. This meant he was keeping his anger in check, not the first time Sam witnessed that. She knew the moment her father returned from his frolicking, that anger was going to be released. 

Sam just happened to be with General Hammond and Colonel O'Neill in the observation booth calmly discussing what was to been done with her father when he decided to drop in. He literally dropped from the vent landing on his feet like the twenty foot drop was nothing. The General and Colonel's backs were to the window so they didn't see her father and Sam was hesitant to say he was there. First of all, General Hammond was silently fuming. Not a good sign. But for once he wasn't mad at Colonel O'Neill. Second, her father was absolutely filthy, which wasn't going to help his current disposition of being...well being in the doghouse.

"Sir," Sam said timidly preparing to hear the yelling.

Both Sam and the Colonel winced. But it wasn't so much the volume of his voice, which was booming, it was what he said that made them wince. Neither of them ever heard such a long string of obscenities come out of General Hammond's mouth before. And they hoped to never hear them again!

On the other hand, her father must have heard such words before because he didn't seem phased by what Hammond was saying. Or he didn't care. The way he had been acting lately it was hard to tell. He just stood there with that smirk of his and waited until Hammond was through.

"Jacob, what the hell were you thinking? I almost ran you over with my own car?" Hammond asked calmly.

"Before I answer your question, there's something I have to say," Jacob started softly but Sam had seen him like that before all too often in her life. He would start of in a nice pleasant voice, then with each spoken work she could hear the volume increase and the veins slowly beginning to extend because he was super pissed. This was no different.

"First of all, you strap to a bed like I'm some fucking lunatic! Try to put me a coma with that sedative! Then you leave me in this cage where everyone comes to look at me like I'm a new exhibit at a zoo! I have no privacy! I can't take a pee without someone watching me! I'm sleeping and eating on the floor! Then to top it all off, COLONEL O'NEILL BRINGS ME WATER..."

'What was so bad about that?' Sam thought to herself.

"...IN A BOWL!!"

Sam and Hammond shot the General a surprised look.

The Colonel shrank in his spot and merely shrugged his shoulders saying, "It was a joke."

"I WAS NOT AMUSED! I'M STILL A TWO STAR GENEREAL...GEORGE! I EXPECT TO BE TREATED LIKE ONE! DON'T FORGET I'M A TOK'RA, NOT ONLY ARE YOU INSULTING ME BUT YOU'RE INSULTING SELMAK!"

Her father paused to compose himself before continuing in a more civilized tone.

"To answer your question, I need some fresh air! And I was hungry!"

Finished with his tantrum, Sam watched her father quickly go to his bed and sit down. She couldn't see his face any more but judging by how he was using the blanket to rub some of the mud off he was still pissed.

"General, we can put him in one of the isolation quarters. They are more comfortable and at least have a bathroom. We'll just need to remove the nonessential furniture."

"Sounds like a good idea Major, take care of it," Hammond sighed rubbing his temples.

"Yes, sir," she said and started to leave.

"Jack...a bowl of water?" Hammond questioned the Colonel before she was out of earshot.

Sam quickly made the arrangements to clear the isolation quarters on level 25 of all the furniture except for the bed and a small table with a couple of chairs. Hopefully her father will be calmer now and maybe take a shower too. Afterwards, she was hoping to talk with him to let him know how she felt about his relationship with her best friend, Janet.

* * *

Teal'c listened intently as Daniel and his friend, Gabriel, conversed at length during breakfast. The two friends had not scene each other in a long time that much was evident. And as they talked Teal'c discovered that both men were similar. Both were intelligent and fully capable of handling any hostile situation. They even shared many of the same beliefs. So Teal'c instinctively knew he could trust Gabriel despite Colonel O'Neill's notion of the man being a 'pompous' ass. 

Yet, while Teal'c did trust Gabriel he was concerned about the weapons Carl was handing out to them. He wasn't exactly sure how stakes, crucifixes, garlic and water would be of any use. Only that those are the weapons one uses when fighting vampires. For a brief moment he did wish that General Hammond had allowed him to bring his staff weapon. Thankfully Gabriel had a selection of hand guns for them to arm themselves with.

"Why do you not come with us?" Teal'c asked Carl.

"Carl's not a field man!" Gabriel playfully smiled loading his saddle's pouches.

"I'm not a field man," Carl repeated in a more serious tone.

"You are most knowledgeable in such creatures and weaponry."

"Yes, I am. Precisely why I am not a field man. My expertise is required elsewhere."

"Carl is a genius," Gabriel smiled throwing his arm around Carl's shoulders. "I would have been dead long ago if not for Carl with his computers and inventions."

"Yes, well try not to get yourself killed. The Order does not know where we are. I went to great lengths to cover our tracks and you would ruin everything if you died."

"I'll do my best! Come Teal'c we must leave if we're to reach the small mountain village of Bran by noon. Don't worry about Carl. We need him here in case your friends at the SGC call. They will not be able to reach us. Cell phones will not work where we are going. Carl can forward any messages to us with these."

"Will radios even work in these mountains?" Daniel asked.

Carl gasped as if he were insulted, "I've modified them with GPS locators so I can monitor your progress and I've boosted their signal strength. They'll be able to work even if you were on the other side of these mountains!"

With that said, and everything loaded they set out. The journey was difficult at first, only because Teal'c had never ridden a horse before. But he was a quick learner and paid close attention to Daniel's instructions. Soon he was able to observe his surroundings.

They started at the Danube Plain with its dense forest and meadows used for sheep grazing and farming. From there they climbed up and over the Bucegi Ridge into Alpine Valley. The valley was long and deep set between two glacial ridges. In the distance Teal'c could see the large waterfall near the Dragusului Ridge. Their destination lay just beyond that at Portita Vistei Peak and the small village of Bran.

There, Teal'c found the locals to be very hospitable. He and Daniel had a chance to stretch their legs after the long morning trek. One of the locals told them of a vantage point worthy of a look so both men headed for it. The view was breathtaking, even for Teal'c. Below was the Alpine Valley they travel through. Beyond the right ridge of the valley was a glacial lake in the niche of a peak.

"That's Galaseseu Peak and Galaseseu Lake," Gabriel said after joining both men.

"I did not know this world had such sights," Teal'c said.

"There are many more."

"Teal'c isn't allowed to far from the SGC unless there's a good reason," Daniel said. "It's more for his protection."

"I'm sure Teal'c has seen many sights on other worlds, have you not?"

"Indeed," Teal'c said but would not elaborate while Daniel may have broken protocol he would not.

"So, where do we go from here?" Daniel asked.

"There, through Fararas Forest, the densest forest of the Transyvanian Alpines. A forest of beech and pine, wolves...and the supernatural. It is said that the forest is haunted by an unnatural presence. The forest leads us all the way to the base of Moldoveanu Peak, the highest peak of the Alps. There we will find Sinaia Castle. There is a meadow before the Castle we will camp there then set out at dawn. But we had better go. I do not wish to travel through the forest at night, it is too dangerous."

* * *

Today, of all days, had to be one of the busiest mornings at the SGC for Dr. Fraiser. SG-3 had returned from a mission with multiple injuries before she even arrived giving her no time to drop by and visit Jacob. Janet had been anxious to see him. Partly, to ensure that he did return safely. Mainly, because she just really needed to see him. 

Two SFs had arrived at her house, courtesy of one Colonel Jack O'Neill, forcing Jacob to leave in such a rush that he and Janet didn't get to say goodbye to each other. Of course their first good bye should have been enough to satisfy her and it did, until he returned. Then she couldn't get her fill of him. During that last time they made love he whispered his affections for her in her ear. She loved hearing such words. And then he had to leave before she told him again that she loved him.

Before heading into surgery Janet thought of asking Sam to give Jacob a message but Janet wasn't sure how Sam felt about the obvious relationship. After, all it's not everyday you fall for your best friend's father. Instead, Nurse Jennings volunteered to check on Jacob and report back to Janet as quickly as possible.

No until after a long four hours in surgery and another hour making her rounds was Janet finally able to look in on Jacob. She learned that he bore the full wrath of General Hammond for his escape, keeping his word and revealing nothing of the visit to her home. Then Jacob had gone on a tirade of his own. He managed to plead a convincing case because his reward was better living conditions. However, despite Jacob's assurances that he would not escape again, Hammond required the camera in the isolation quarters be on at all times.

When Janet entered the room she found Jacob sitting on the foot of his bed. He was only wearing a pair of shorts. The man seemed to have no modesty lately. Not that Janet was complaining. Being a werewolf did have its advantages one obvious one was that Jacob's physique was much more defined than before. A fact she didn't notice until last night when he was in her arms.

At the moment she also saw his right arm was covered in that black fur of his. The long claws fully extended from his fingertips. His hand slowly flexed and stretched. And his eyes had that wild look when he looked at her then faded quickly as his arm returned to its normal state.

"I find it takes the edge off if I allow part of the change to happen," he smiled to her flexing his human hand. "I think I understand how it works now. Both Selmak and I have been working together to control it."

Jacob got to his feet quickly moving to her. Janet moved into his arms even though she too felt the prying eyes at the video monitor in another room watching his every move.

"What about the camera?" she asked.

"I can't hide my feelings, no matter who's watching Janet," he smiled caressing her face. "Besides, they can only see us, they can't hear a word we're saying to each other."

Janet smiled nuzzling her head against his chest.

"Where have you been?" he asked softly.

"Surgery, all morning. Ruptured spleen, internal bleeding," she sighed feeling his hands moving slowly up and down her back.

"No time to change back into your uniform?"

"All I could think about was seeing you."

"Come here," he smiled taking her hand in his.

"Jacob..." she began to protest as he led her to the bed.

"Janet, you're exhausted, I'm only asking you to sit down," he insisted and wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer from the look he was giving her.

Jacob quickly propped up a few pillows for Janet and instructed her to sit leaning against them. She had to admit it did feel good just to finally get off her feet. Then he slowly pulled of her shoes and socks and began to slowly massage the bottom of one of her feet.

"That feels good," she groaned closing her eyes and relaxing into the pillows.

"As it was intended," he said as his hands slid beneath her scrub bottoms and massaged her calf. "I'm truly sorry for not letting you get any sleep last night."

"Don't be sorry, I'm not. Besides, as a doctor, I'm used to being up all night every now and then. That's what God made coffee for."

"Don't remind me," he snorted.

"I'm curious. Why doesn't Selmak allow you to have coffee?" she inquired opening her eyes.

"She doesn't like it," he commented moving his hands to other foot.

"She?"

"Oops! I can't believe I let that slip!" he chuckled.

Janet saw his eyes get that far away look which usually meant he was talking with his symbiote. He even stopped massaging her foot. But it was only for a moment.

"Sorry," he smiled. "Selmak says I should tell you."

"Come here and tell me everything," she smiled pulling him so his head rested on her chest.

"Please, don't repeat what I'm about to tell you," he whispered as she held his head close. "The only other person who knows is Sam."

"I am a doctor and you are my patient. I couldn't tell anyone if I wanted to."

"Do you know anything about Selmak's previous host?"

"Nothing, only that the host was dying and that the symbiote needed a new host."

"Her name was Saroosh. She was a nice lady. Selmak loved her very much and mourned her loss deeply."

"Is that why you refer to Selmak as a she, because of her previous host?"

"No," he smiled. "You are aware that symbiotes don't really have a gender, correct?"

"Yes."

"What the Tok'ra never mention is that the symbiotes do have preferences, whether it be male or female. I am Selmak's first male host."

Janet was trying not to laugh. She could see how serious he was about the conversation. Looking at his face when he sat up she couldn't help but imagine the shock Jacob's mind must have gone through having a female personality imposed upon it. She burst out into an uncontrollable fit of giggles. And was laughing so hard the tears were rolling down her face.

"I'm sorry..." she laughed as she attempted to compose herself.

"Are you done?" he asked in a playful tone.

"I'm sorry Jacob. It's just that I know what kind of man you are. The thought of you having a female symbiote..."

"Glad you find it so amusing," he smiled as she laughed at him some more.

"I can understand why you don't tell anyone," she smiled finally gaining control of her laughs.

"I will tell you this," he said lowering his voice and moving his face closer. "It comes in handy having that female's insight. Especially for situations like this."

Jacob kissed her deeply and she felt his hand slide beneath her top.

* * *

"How's dad doing in his new kennel?" Jack asked Major Carter who was sitting in front of a monitor reading a book. 

"Sir!"

"Sorry, Carter," Jack sighed. "How is he enjoying his new room?"

"He's tolerating it. Dad was never one for being cooped up. He constantly grumbles about the Tok'ra tunnels."

"Well, looks like he's going to be a little happier for the moment," Jack smiled pulling up a chair and looking at the monitor. "I still can't believe it, our little Janet with your dad."

"I wasn't surprised. It's about time he had a serious relationship. I don't think he's had one since mom died."

"What about that Themis lady?"

"I said serious, sir!"

"He seemed to know her pretty well!"

The Major gave him a glare which meant to drop it or else. Jack didn't want to contemplate about the what else at the moment.

"Have you talked with dad about Janet?"

"No," Carter said sadly as they watched Janet laughing uncontrollably.

"I wonder what he said," Jack mentioned then noticed what Jacob's hand was doing. "We better get her out of there."

Carter shot him a puzzled look.

"Trust me...it's a guy thing," Jack said still looking at the screen. "Besides, we don't need your dad giving the doc a little love bite. One werewolf running around here is enough. Plus I don't think Hammond wants anymore paperwork piling up on his desk."

"Agreed, sir. But you can't just walk in there."

"Yeah, dad would get pissed and probably rip me to shreds!"

Jack's way of thinking was it didn't matter what they did. Being a man himself, Jack already knew exactly how Jacob was going to react. He was going to be pissed as any man would be when interrupted with his woman.

"Have one of the nurses page Janet," Carter suggested.

"Good, idea," Jack replied reaching for the phone. "I hope it works too. Otherwise we might to drag a fire hose to cool those two down!"

* * *

Jacob heard the page but chose to ignore it. Only Janet heard it too and she couldn't ignore it. Her hands were gently pushing against him until he finally, with great reluctance, removed his lips from hers. 

"I have to go," she whispered breathlessly.

"I know," he sighed resting his forehead against hers.

The page sounded again. Jacob groaned loudly and slowly rolled off Janet. He was silently fuming as he glared at the ceiling.

"Don't be angry," she smiled down at him resting her hand on his chest.

"I'm not angry, I'm frustrated with this whole situation. I've never been claustrophobic before but lately...I can't stand being cooped up!"

"But you're in here for your safety as well as others."

"I know," he sighed sitting up and taking her hands into his. "Then there's us...and Sam. I don't even know what she thinks about us. If she approves or disapproves."

"Why don't you try telling her."

"I'm afraid. I don't want to hurt her."

"But you said you and Selmak are learning to control what's happening to you. Just try. This has been hard on her too."

"Ok. Will I see you again today?"

"Have a talk with Sam. If everything's ok, send her to get me. I would love to come back to take a nap with you."

"A nap only?" he asked with a wicked smile on his face.

"Take a cold shower...I need to get some sleep today," she smiled.

"Is that an order doctor?"

"Do I need to make it one?"

"No, ma'am!" he saluted her making her laugh.

"May I make a suggestion," she started to say when he took her hand in his and started walking her to the door. "Put some clothes on. While your lack of modesty doesn't bother me, I'm sure Sam would appreciate it if you weren't almost naked while talking with her."

"Yes, ma'am," Jacob smiled pulling Janet close, taking in her sweet fragrance. "I love you Dr. Fraiser."

"I love you too, General, now talk with Sam. Selmak, if you're listening, make sure he behaves," she whispered in his ear.

Jacob smiled, "She always does her best but sometimes I'm a bad influence on her."

Janet laughed. Her laugh was intoxicating to him. Everything about her was captivating when they were together. But reluctantly Jacob let her go, instantly feeling alone. Even Selmak was unusually quiet. No doubt his symbiote was feeling what he was.

'The sooner you talk with your daughter, the sooner Janet will return,' Selmak gently reminded him.

Jacob silently agreed, slowly removing the sweats and T-shirt off the table. While he was eager for Janet to return, he was afraid of Sam's reaction. He had never been serious about a woman since her mother. There had been a few women in his life after Allison's death but none he was ready to make a full commitment to. And all he kept secret from his children, thinking they would disapprove of his relationship with a woman that was not their mother. Perhaps that's why he never could make a commitment. Perhaps it was guilt. Right now, all he knew was that he deeply loved his children and he deeply loved Janet. And he was scared. He didn't want to lose any of them.

Once dressed, Jacob called through the door for the SF to get Major Carter and that it was urgent he speak with her. It only took a few minutes for her to show up and she eagerly entered the room hugging him before he could respond.

"Sorry, dad, I've just been so worried about you."

"I know kid," he sighed hugging her back. "I'm the one who should be apologizing, not you. I should have realized that I could never intentionally harm you."

"So, what did you want to talk about?" she asked flashing a mischievous smile at him.

Jacob pulled a chair out for her at the table then sat down in the other one. First there was this awkward silence between them. Then he would open his mouth starting to say something but didn't know exactly how to say it. How do you tell your own daughter you're in love with her best friend?

"You really love her, don't you?" she asked smiling.

"Yes...I do," he sighed secretly grateful Sam spoke first.

"It's about time you found someone dad!"

"You're not angry?" he asked in disbelief.

"Dad, I'm happy for you...for both of you. Janet's the only woman I know who could keep you in line," she said making him laugh.

"Thanks Sam!" he smiled taking her hands in his. "That means a lot to me. And Janet means so much to me. I never thought I would fall so deeply in love again."

"She's waiting down the hall, should I send her back in?"

"I thought..."

"The Colonel created the diversion to get her out of here. He didn't want you doing something you shouldn't be doing."

"I would never bite her! I might bite Jack out of spite but I would never burden Janet with this...curse. All though, it is hard resisting her."

"Dad!"

"Sorry...I promise, I'll be on my best behavior. Besides, with the camera on, I can't do anything anyway."

"I love you dad," she smiled getting to her feet.

"I love you too kid," he said hugging her.

As Jacob watched his daughter leave he was beginning to think that becoming a werewolf was the best thing that ever happened to him, other than Selmak of course. And when Janet came back, he knew for certain that it was a good thing. Selmak gave him his family back and being a werewolf brought Janet into his life. She was one of the best things to happen to him. Jacob felt it deep within himself as they snuggled close together in a lover's embrace. He was content enough to just have her sleep in his arms and watched her breathing deeply for a long time until finally falling asleep himself. And when he dreamed, he dreamed about Janet, about his family, and about the moon. And in his dream the wolf inside him was free.


	8. Chapter Eight

The wolves' song sounded so beautiful, so full of emotion that it roused Teal'c from his meditation. He had never before heard such animals, nor had he seen them with his own eyes, except on the television. They were considered majestic animals living in a simple society all their own. A pack was essentially a family; all capable hunters, protectors of their young, always wary of man. It was a rarity for one to see them and it was ever more rare for Teal'c to see a wild, living creature on Earth. He was curious. He quietly moved to exit the tent, careful to not wake Daniel or Gabriel.

He caught a glimpse of a pack of gray wolves, with one black wolf and one white wolf, loping about before quickly darting for the shadows of the forest. From the darkness their eyes glowed in his direction. He found it fascinating that they did not fear his presence enough to have completely disappeared into the thick forest. But he didn't dare approach them. He had a great respect for such animals. Plus it was too dangerous to enter the forest at night and alone. This land was indeed very strange, as Gabriel had warned

Their journey along the deep muddied trail through the Fagaras Forest was long and tiring. Only Teal'c felt as if he could never let his guard down. It was the same with the others. The forest seemed to have a presence all its own, more so in the darkness than during the daylight. There were several times Teal'c felt as if an ominous presence was watching him. When he would turn, surely expecting to see something, there would be nothing.

Even now, Teal'c was certain he was being watched. But it wasn't from the wolves in the forest, who were now gone. The eerie feeling came from the direction of the castle. The horses themselves were fidgeting as if they could sense the evil emanating from beyond the open castle gate, from beyond its high towering turrets. Yes, he could definitely feel an evil presence within the dark silhouette of the castle. That feeling intensified when a thick blanket of fog suddenly appeared and slowly crept up from behind high walls of the castle. It appeared as if it was forming from within the castle itself.

"Gabriel! Daniel Jackson! Come quickly!" he shouted even as the fog gradually poured down the walls.

When the two men appeared by Teal'c's side, dense tendrils of mist had already extended along the drawbridge that crossed over the deep chasm where the Danube River flowed. All of them watched as the tendrils slowed, until the main body of fog reabsorbed them forming one solid cloud again that advanced onto the meadow.

"Teal'c, Daniel secure the horses, we must not lose them!" Gabriel ordered grabbing a thick branch from the fire.

The fog was now eighty yards away, continuing to creep along towards them. Teal'c reined in two horses and Daniel held tightly to the third. The fog was seventy yards away when Gabriel began speaking in a language Teal'c had never heard before.

Sixty yards.

Gabriel pulled a satchel from inside his jacket. Continuing his chant, he began pouring some kind of powder on the ground and he began moving around their small campsite.

The fog leapt to forty yards beginning to move more swiftly. It was as if it had an intelligence all its own and knew Gabriel was doing something against it.

Teal'c watched as Gabriel had completed half a ring around the camp. The horses began growing more agitated forcing Teal'c to tighten his hold; their urge to flee reaching a peak.

Twenty yards.

The circle was complete. Gabriel raised his voice, repeating the chant even as the mist reached ten yards. Then he was silent and lit the ring. The horses jumped, as did Teal'c and Daniel, as a fifteen foot blue ring flame burst up from the powder completely surrounding them. But it was a strange fire, no heat emanated from it.

The fog pressed against the flame but did not pass through. Instead it merely moved, encompassing the ring of blue flame. Teal'c was impressed; he had never seen such magic.

"My grandfather taught me that little incantation," Gabriel smiled proudly as he joined Teal'c and Daniel. "He bore each protective incantation onto my brain. That was the first time I ever had to use one!"

"How long will it last?" Teal'c asked gently stoking his horse's head now that it was much calmer, as were the others.

Looking at his watch, Gabriel answered, "Long enough. Sunrise is nearly two hours away."

"What about the fog?" Daniel asked.

"It is already beginning to recede," Teal'c observed.

"These kinds of fogs do not exist in the daylight, Daniel. We will be safe at sun up. I'm going to get some more rest. You should do the same."

"No thanks, I don't think I can sleep anymore tonight," Daniel said making Gabriel chuckle.

"I will keep you company Daniel," Teal'c said as he moved to tend their small campfire.

* * *

The Colonel looked through the small window of the door. He could see it sitting against the wall on its bed reading a book. It was in its human form and had been for most of the day. But the Colonel did witness it transform into that hideous monster just once. That one time had been enough for him. 

It happened when the Colonel was bringing a late meal. The usual visitors were not available at two in the morning, so he volunteered. At the time he believed he was merely taking a late snack to General Carter, a good and trusted friend of General Hammond. There was a wild rumor going around the base that Carter was a werewolf. A rumor the Colonel quickly dismissed; werewolves do not exist.

A rumor that quickly became fact when the Colonel entered the room. He didn't even say anything to the man. The General merely took one look at him, a deep growl emanated from him and he transformed. The Colonel just about pissed his pants. His mind couldn't fathom the possibilities of such a creature existing. It went against reason that a man can physically transform in a beast. It went against everything he knew to be good and true. As a God fearing man, such abominations were not meant to exist in the eyes of the Lord.

Luckily Airman Jones, a good kid, managed to pull the Colonel out of the room before the creature advanced. But the kid thought it was kind of cool that General Carter could turn into a werewolf, just like in the movies. The Colonel wasn't impressed; he didn't believe in such fantasies of man changing into a beast and knew what he had to do.

Turning back he quickly checked the hallway one more time. He had nothing to fear standing outside the door. The guard at the video monitor was already sedated, as was the guard at the door who was now lying on the floor. They both had easily been incapacitated because they trusted him. He was a Colonel. With no one around it was all too easy.

Only it wasn't as easy as he first thought. His heart was racing, he was sweating, and his hands were now trembling. But he knew he was doing the right thing. Slowly he slid his key card to unlock the door, and then entered the room.

* * *

At Gabriel's insistence, they left the horses behind setting out on foot. It was a goo thing too. The horses would never have made it across the drawbridge. Much of it was so rotted that no one dare put his weight on it. The idea of falling down the deep chasm into the icy Danube River was a chilling thought. So, they used one of the side beams that the chain was attached to cross. 

Once across, gaining access was easy with the massive gateway already open. The portcullis had been raised long ago, never to be lowered back down. The chains of the pulley system were so thickly covered in rust that Gabriel doubted the heavy iron grating could ever be lowered.

Within the keep they could see the thirty-foot thick defensive walls, flanked by the round turrets were in a state of ruin. Even the high gate towers had been eroded by the passage of time. Still, the castle was quite impressive. Leaving one to imagine, it must have been a magnificent fortress during its prime.

But there was no time to marvel in such wonders. Gabriel had a job to do and was grateful he didn't have to do it alone. He had to give both Daniel and Teal'c credit for sticking with him, even after that menacing fog. Gabriel was just glad he managed to say the incantation correctly and in time to protect them.

"There," he said pointing at two large wooden doors. "That's the main entrance. We'll try to get through there first."

"This castle is huge!" Daniel exclaimed craning his neck towards the highest tower. "It could take days to search it."

"It only appears that way on the outside. Once inside, you will see the main section of the castle is just a great hall, a large room for such festivities as weddings or huge feasts. The side doors over there are the entrance to the servants would use when bringing in the food. Such festivities usually meant large amounts of cooking."

"Do you know where Vikor might be?" Teal'c asked.

"No," Gabriel sighed as they came to a stop at the double doors. "Once inside, we will check out the great hall then proceed to the bowels of the castle. From there, we work our way up."

"Tell me again, what exactly can we expect?" Daniel asked nervously.

"A vampire of Viktor's strength has a powerful mind. He can create illusions to deceive your mind. You must be equally strong to resist them."

"I survived the blood of Sokar, I guess I can handle this," Daniel exclaimed.

Gabriel raised his eyebrows at Daniel.

"Long story."

"Another time then," Gabriel smiled. "Teal'c?"

"I am ready."

The large wooden double doors wouldn't budge as Gabriel pushed and pulled at them. He cursed to himself when the door handle broke off. Without saying anything, Daniel and Teal'c attempted to help. Still, the doors would not budge.

"Let's try the side doors," Gabriel said, not deterred in his quest to gain entry.

After the three of them descended the small steps, a long creek sounded behind. They looked at each other before slowly turning around. The doors were now wide open revealing a strange darkness within. Without hesitation, they turned on their flashlights and entered.

Once inside, they could see the great hall was deserted except for the dust covered stone floor and a few splintered wooden benches. Thin beams of light slipped through the high narrow windows. And a large stone staircase extending to the next level was to the left of them. And the walls reached into dark shadows high above making the room appear larger than it actually was.

"There, that door should lead below," Gabriel said shining the light on a door beneath the staircase.

"What's down there?" Daniel asked quietly as they moved slowly towards the door.

"I'm not sure, each castle is different, it could be the servants' chambers. Some have secret passageways below..."

"Dungeons?" Daniel added.

"Daniel you've been spending too much time in the sand with your pyramids," Gabriel mused. "That is a common misconception. Most prisoners were held in the highest tower. The word donjon, the French word for tower, had been altered over time through literature to the word dungeon. Often to embellish stories of famous prisoners throughout history."

"I suppose it's easier to see them suffering if they were in a dark and dank pit in a basement as opposed to a room with a view," Daniel smiled.

Suddenly the doors slammed shut and a loud thunk echoed through the castle. All humor quickly extinguished from their faces.

"Must have been the wind," Daniel suggested.

"Must have," Gabriel agreed.

"I agree," Teal'c said solemnly.

However, Gabriel drew out his gun. Daniel and Teal'c did the same. They moved more slowly towards the dark, damp door. It opened easily on the first try. Silently they proceeded through it.

* * *

"You!" Jacob exclaimed, jumping to his feet and dropping the book on the floor. "You better get the hell out of here!" 

This guy, who Jacob learned was Colonel McBride, was terrified. Jacob could smell his fear. The scent was so tempting and it took a concerted effort to keep from changing. Also, there was just something about McBride that Jacob didn't like. He smelled it the other night, reacting on impulse and transforming. Jacob wasn't sure who was more startled by the transformation, him or the guy. It had just erupted from him without warning.

"Maybe you didn't hear me, Colonel! Get the fuck out of here!" Jacob growled, in his human voice.

McBride was speaking softly but not to Jacob. If Jacob didn't know any better he would swear the guy was praying.

"I…I must do what is right," he finally said to Jacob.

Jacob almost laughed when he saw the man pulled a revolver out from beneath his fatigue jacket. It wasn't the standard issue .45 all SGC personnel carried. Still, after the bullet incident in the briefing room Jacob felt invulnerable. But Jacob didn't like the look in the man's eyes and the man's hand was trembling.

"Just what do you think you're doing with that?" Jacob growled in his usual authoritative tone that lets one know they're dealing with a General. "Point that thing somewhere else! That's an order!"

"I can't," the man said then fired.

The first shot whizzed past Jacob's head, but he stood his ground confidant that he could still control this maniac. He could suddenly hear footsteps hurrying from down the hall. Footsteps that sounded very familiar!

A second shot fired, hitting Jacob a few inches below his right shoulder, causing him to stagger a couple of steps back. Clutching the wound, he turned and glared at his attacker. The change was there if he wanted it. He could feel his body was bursting to transform, and he was finding it harder to resist.

At that moment, Colonel O'Neill came charging into the room. Without hesitation, Jack tackled McBride just as a third shot echoed through the room. The bullet hit Jacob in his left thigh, nearly causing his leg to buckle beneath him.

This was not the first time Jacob had ever been shot. There had been one particular mission when he knocked George down and took a barrage of AK-47 bullets in the chest with a few bullets exiting his back. He had been coughing up blood, while George was trying desperately to keep pressure on as many of the bullet holes as he could until the medic arrived. The pain alone from the pressure was unbearable.

But nothing like what Jacob was experiencing now. The two wounds burned, like someone was pour hot acid and it was spreading. Thick blood oozed. Jacob roared angrily then reacted instinctively.

* * *

It was pointless, laying wide-awake in the dark. He couldn't take a nap. He was too wired from all the caffeine he had been drinking. So, Jack got up and put his combat boots on, then headed out to check on Jacob. He wished now that he had gone with Daniel; at least they were outside doing something. It was kind of boring running a kennel at the SGC for Carter's father. 

At times, Jack felt like a zookeeper making arrangement so that Jacob got his meals on time. The man was grouchy if he didn't get his steak. One good thing though, at least Jacob didn't bark. However, he did growl…a lot. Especially each time he saw Jack. In fact, every time Jack showed up to check on Jacob, his eyes had that wild look like he was about to transform, in fact he had a few times. Still, Jack kept going to check on him. Maybe just too antagonized Jacob. Why not? It was something Jack was really good at, antagonizing his commanding officers.

Tuning the corner, Jack saw that Jacob's door was wide open. The SF assigned to guard the door lay on the ground just outside it. Jack hurried down the long tunnel towards the door. A gunshot sounded. He ran faster. A second shot was fired before he reached the door.

When Jack burst into the room he saw Colonel McBride with a revolver aimed at Jacob. Jack didn't hesitate and tackled McBride hard to the ground just as the gun fired again. As the two men struggled over the gun Jack heard Jacob scream in agony.

"What the hell were you doing?" Jack asked McBride.

The man laughed. His eyes looked even wilder than Jacob's did.

"Silver bullets…kill werewolves!"

Jack quickly looked to see Jacob still standing. At any moment he would be dead. That Van Helsing fellow told them silver can kill a werewolf be it a bullet or a blade, as long as it was silver.

'Shit! Carter will never forgive me for letting her father die on my watch!' Jack thought.

Only Jacob wasn't dying. Neither were his wounds healing. Instead, as Jacob cried in agony, his voice deepened and his cry changed into a growl as he transformed. The wounds still didn't heal themselves. And as Jack kept McBride pinned, he watched as Jacob tore out of the room in a black streak.

* * *

Daniel, Teal'c, and Gabriel had come flying out of the door, quickly slamming it shut behind them. On the other side loud squeaking noises could be heard as well as hideous scratching noises. A few bats actually made it out, quickly heading up high into the darkness. 

"Definitely not down there!" Daniel exclaimed breathlessly.

All three of them were pressed against the wall looking as if they had just broken the record for the one hundred-yard dash. Daniel was surprised that Teal'c could run so fast for a big guy! He was right behind Daniel the whole way up the dark stairway. And Daniel knew if he fell, he would get steam rolled by his friend. So Daniel was well motivated to keep his leg moving as fast as humanly possible.

"Maybe we should try upstairs," Gabriel suggested straightening up having finally caught his breath.

"Yes, upstairs," Daniel huffed. "Then at least if we have to run, it would be downwards!"

* * *

When General Hammond heard Colonel O'Neill's voice over the speakers announcing that there was a wild dog named Jacob on the loose, he immediately grabbed the open bottle of aspirin already sitting on his desk top. It wasn't only Jack's jibes and antagonism towards Jacob giving him the headaches, but Jacob's condition created a new set of problems…and **paperwork**. 

First of all, Jacob needed a steady supply of protein. The commissary had something that once was considered to be meat. So requisition orders had to be filled out, in order to get the steak and vegetables his diet required. Then George had to make sure, personally, that the chef cooked the steak to Jacob's liking. George was grateful Jacob still wanted his meat cooked; Hammond was afraid Jacob might start asking for it raw.

Secondly, the paperwork George had to fill out explaining why they needed to replace an infirmary bed, several queen-size guest beds, and other furniture items damaged during Jacob's outbursts. The General even threatened to take the next bed destroyed by Jacob out of Colonel O'Neill's salary because he was antagonizing Jacob…on purpose…**repeatedly**!

Thinking back, George thought it might actually be easier replacing one mouthy Colonel than another queen-size bed from the guest quarters. Jacob demolished three in the span of two hours. That thought alone made George wonder if should just let Jacob lose on O'Neill.

'Reason for replacement personnel: **Eaten by Alien-Hybrid-Werewolf**,' George thought bringing a smile to his face, only it still didn't help his headache.

George took out four aspirin knowing this was going to be a doozy of a headache and popped them in his mouth not even bothering to swallow them down with water. While he chewed on the aspirin, he ordered all personnel to vacate the tunnels level on level twenty-five, the same level as Jacob's quarters. After a quick phone conversation with Colonel O'Neill, Hammond ordered the personal to evacuate level twenty-eight as well. There was only one room big enough to trap Jacob in his current condition.

Heading down to the control room, Hammond had Major Carter working on closing certain doors, forcing Jacob to go where Hammond wanted him. He watched his plan working on the monitor as Jacob raced through the tunnels going through the open doors. In werewolf form, Jacob was so fast that George sometimes only saw a black streak on the monitor, and was amazed Major Carter was able to keep a step ahead of her father. However, Jacob came to a stop near the elevator and turned back around, only there was no where else for him to go. He was trapped with the elevator his only means of moving on.

"Keep the elevator doors open Major," he ordered watching Jacob turn a few circles as if he's trying to make up his mind about where to go.

Then Jacob tentatively entered the elevator.

"Bring him to level twenty-eight Major and lead him to the Gate Room," Hammond ordered.

"Sir?"

"He's injured. And there's nothing more dangerous than an injured animal! Your father was bad enough as a human when he when hurt. I can imagine he's at least ten times worse as a werewolf! The gate room should be big enough to trap him, but also give him enough room so he doesn't feel cornered."

Hammond watched as Jacob, still in werewolf form, limped out of the elevator. He weakly pushed at a closed door then moved on to the next. Looking at another monitor Hammond could see Dr. Fraiser waiting at an elevator on level fifteen. Hammond let a small sigh of relief escape his lungs. While the Major was safe in her father's company, it was the doctor who was the only one who could actually tame Jacob. Another monitor showed Colonel O'Neill heading towards the control room. Too bad, Hammond would have ordered the Major not to allow the Colonel out of an elevator knowing that the Colonel was the last person who should be near Jacob right now.

Looking back at the main monitor, Hammond watched Jacob try another door. His growl of frustration reverberated down the tunnel into the Gate Room. The growl seemed to give him renewed energy as he streaked down the tunnel toward the intended destination.

* * *

Gabriel tried the first door the came it wouldn't budge. He tried again pressing his entire weight against it, still nothing. 

"Allow me," Teal'c offered handing Daniel his flashlight.

"By all means," Gabriel smiled.

Even with Teal'c's strength the door would not move. Silently the three pushed on down the long dark hall to the next door. All doors on the second level were sealed tight so they headed up to the next level. More of the same, not until they reached the fourth level did the see something.

It was at the far end of the hall, the master bedroom. The door was closed, but a light emanated through the thin crack at the bottom of the door.

* * *

Still trying to help her father, Sam hurried into the Gate Room not realizing Colonel O'Neill followed her from the control room. Even from across the room, she could see her dad's black fur was soaked with blood from two wounds. As usual, her father wasn't happy about it. He was snarling and snapping. 

"Jacob, we really need to get a leash for you!" Jack snapped when he arrived beside her.

No wonder her dad was being snippy. He could probably smell the Colonel was nearby.

"Sir, I don't think it's a good idea for you to be here," Sam suggested not wanting the Colonel to be ripped to shreds.

"Doc's going to be here any minute, she might need help. And I'm not leaving you alone with him," Jack insisted.

Sam watched as her father's lips curled slowly to reveal all of his pearly white teeth, especially his long pointed fangs.

"Jacob, have you been brushing? Your teeth look exceptionally big today!" the Colonel complimented. "And bright!"

Jacob's ears pushed to their sides in 'airplane ears' formation and the fur along his spine and on the back of his shoulders was raised.

"And your fur, it has a nice shine today! Is it natural or did you use a conditioner?" Colonel O'Neill asked with a playful smile.

After that comment her father's beady black eyes locked firmly on O'Neill and his lips curled into an evil grin. A soft growl filled rumbled in his throat.

"Dad! That's not very nice!"

"Maybe we should go," O'Neill said nervously when Jacob's growl began to grow in volume.

Sam felt the Colonel's sweaty hand grab hers with the intention of pulling her away with him. Her dad, who saw their hands together, immediately dropped to all fours hunched in a low stance. His muscles tensed, eyes narrowed, his snarl grew meaner, and his growl sounded deeper. As they took a step back, he moved forward. A step to the side and he matched it while still moving towards them never breaking eye contact with the Colonel. The Colonel even let go of her hand and moved away from her. But still her father was matching the Colonel's movements' step for step.

"Dad! Quit stalking him!" Sam snapped.

Another step back, by the Colonel, another step forward by her dad.

"**JACOB SIT!**" Jack yelled in his most authoritative voice ever while pointing to the ground.

Jacob paused then let loose a deep, bellowing guttural roar that echoed through the Gate Room, vibrated the Gate itself, and was certainly heard down the connecting tunnel. It made the hairs on the back of Sam's neck stand on end.

"Sir, you didn't think that would really work, did you?" Sam asked O'Neill.

"It was worth a try," he shrugged.

"I would suggest you don't try that again. He doesn't seem to like the dog jokes," she pointed out then quickly added. "Sir."

"You know, I'm beginning to wonder if your dad lost his sense of humor along with his humanity!" he retorted.

Jacob's advance continued. The claws on his right hand deliberately raked along the floor making Sam's ears tingle from the scraping sound. He paused to inspect his razor sharp claws. As he wiggled each finger slowly, an eager smile emerged on his face.

"Why did he do that?" Jack asked Sam as he quickly took a few steps back.

Her dad suddenly leapt, landing a mere two feet in front of the Colonel, then slowly stood up to his full height! Towering over an extremely nervous looking Colonel, her dad inhaled deeply, expanding his broad chest to it fullest capacity! If Sam didn't know better she could have sworn her dad was deliberately trying to scare the shit out of the Colonel!

* * *

The room may have once been a master bedroom. Now, it was filled with books stacked high on desks, and tables lined along three of the walls. Flickering candles in the high chandeliers helped to illuminate the room. The main light came from the huge fireplace. There a single vacant chair was seated a few feet in front of the roaring fire. 

Daniel was a little disappointed. There was no coffin. No hounds of hell were guarding the room. There was no blood-sucking vampire. He had been expecting more doom and gloom like the rest of the castle, but instead walked into a cozy, warm looking…library. Even the chair by the fire looked extremely comfortable enough to take a nap in.

Perhaps it was all too cozy. Perhaps all of it was an illusion, like Gabriel suggested when confronting the vampire. At least if there was a coffin present Daniel would know exactly what to do. Here, his senses felt as if they were being led astray…or it could just really be a library.

"Really Daniel, were you expecting to see a monster?" a deep melodic voice said startling Daniel.

Each man turned around but could not pin point the location of the voice as it continued.

"Gabriel, you look so much like your great grandfather. His methods were reckless though. So reckless they eventually got him killed. It pleases me that the Van Helsings improved greatly with each new generation."

"You know of me and my family?" Gabriel asked as they were still looking for Viktor or who ever was talking with them.

"All vampires know of the Van Helsings. We make it our business to know our hunters. Teal'c…I have not seen one of you kind for many…many centuries."

"You know what he is?" Daniel asked eagerly.

"Of course."

"How could you?" Gabriel asked.

A mocking laughed resonated around them. Daniel could swear the laugh emanated from beside him, only nothing was there. Then the laugh would be across the room but still nothing was there.

"Gabriel, your Knights of the Holy Order do not know everything about me and my kind. I am much, much older than you realized."

"Did you witness the uprising against Ra?" Daniel couldn't resist asking.

Daniel's quest for knowledge temporarily suppressed his fear. He was actually excited to meet someone from that time. After all, such an opportunity was very rare.

"Yes," came the answer.

"Can you…"

"Enough!" the voice boomed. "I grow tired of your questions. My brides and I are hungry…it has been such a long time since anyone has ventured into my home."

The sound of young women giggling filled the room as the door slammed shut. Daniel's curiosity was gone replaced with his desire to get the hell out of there! Only when he turned to head for the door, two voluptuous women stood smiling at him. He was surprised to see them wearing modern evening gowns that seemed to float even though there was no breeze. He had been expecting them to wear clothing from the past perhaps from when they were originally made into vampires, whenever that was.

"He would make an excellent pet, master," the strawberry haired, wearing an emerald green low cut gown, one smiled.

"Mina, you know we are not allowed to have pets," the blonde retorted whose deep red gown was as equally low cut.

"It is not for you to decide, Lucy!" Mina snapped back. "Master, please, can I have him?"

"If he is to be anyone's his is to be mine!" Lucy insisted stepping in front of Mina.

On a normal day, if two women were arguing over him Daniel would have considered himself a very luck man. Of course on a normal day, the women wouldn't be openly wondering what his blood type might be...unless he was in Dr. Fraiser's infirmary with a couple of her female nurses. Today, he would give anything to have stayed back at the SGC. He was certain Jack would have come up with some witty remarks about being the object of two women's desire.

Lucy began moving towards him with her long fingers and arms reaching for him.

Yes, he definitely should have stayed at the SGC. Daniel was sure Jack was probably having a good old time baby…puppy…wolf sitting Sam's father.

* * *

Following Colonel O'Neill's orders to protect Daniel Jackson, Teal'c stepped in front of the women blocking their advance toward his friend. He had an understanding that they were a dangerous threat to all of them. But still wasn't entirely sure which of his strange new weapons he was to use. 

He watched with curiosity when Gabriel quickly fired his gun at them. Mina and Lucy did not go down, like one normally does when shot at nearly point blank range. They grew angry and the bullet holes disappeared quickly. Long pointed fangs extended as they hissed at him with their mouths wide open. The whites of their eyes turned completely black. The blackness seemed more menacing with their extremely pail complexions. Their skin seemed entirely devoid of blood or life.

He didn't fully understand what exactly a vampire was. Gabriel described them as the undead, not dead but undead. Teal'c was quite sure what the difference was. All he knew was they sucked your blood until you were died. That's what these two looked as if they were about to do.

Yet, these were women. Teal'c was taught to never strike a woman. It didn't matter how angry you got with them. The only time he struck a woman was when he faced a female Jaffa warrior in the heat of battle. Mina and Lucy were not Jaffa warriors.

They hissed loudly at him as they drew closer.

Teal'c didn't hesitate; he struck at Lucy who advanced first.

* * *

Gabriel was quick to splash holy water on Mina before she advanced as well. She screamed in anger at him as the skin on her face quickly healed itself. Then when he held out his crucifix she hissed at it, making it burst into flames. He dropped it quickly before burning his hand. 

"That cant' be good," Daniel said watching the object burn quickly into ashes.

"It most certainly is not!" Gabriel exclaimed.

Suddenly all hell broke loose in the room. Bullets were flying. Books exploding. Some even caught on fire when a few candles from above were knocked down by one of the vampires. Mina and Lucy were laughing. Each time when they were fired at they would vanish in a quick poof only to reappear in another part of the room. Gabriel thought he even heard Viktor's laugh but the vampire still hasn't made an appearance.

Then while he and Daniel tried to create a defensive position behind a desk the turned over, Teal'c was engaged in a wresting match with Lucy. The woman was his height but no where near his size in strength. Yet, she appeared to have the upper hand forcing Teal'c down to a knee while he was trying to avoid being bitten.

Gabriel took aim at Lucy, only didn't get a shot off. Mina swooped by knocking the gun from his hand. He watched its flight across the room then behind a stack of books. When he returned his gaze back to Teal'c and Lucy, Daniel was already helping. The man had the right idea using the stake; only his mark was too high in Lucy's back.

"The heart Daniel, aim lower!"

Daniel yanked the stake out, and then quickly thrust it in so hard that the point burst through Lucy's ribcage beneath her bosom. Gabriel watched Lucy suddenly stop struggling and released her hold on Teal'c. She gasped and cried. Gabriel dove for cover. Then her body quickly exploded into thick yellowish goo that splattered all over Teal'c and Daniel.

Teal'c gave Gabriel a glare as he slowly wiped of the disgusting mucous like substance from his neck and face. Daniel was doing the same wiping the thick sticky crap from his glasses.

"Thanks for the warning Gabriel," Daniel grumbled, attempting to fling the goo from his hands, then tried wiping it on the backside of his pants when it wouldn't come off. "Great…it smells too!"

"It is most revolting!" Teal'c said in disgust.

"Sorry, guys," Gabriel shrugged getting back to his feet.

Suddenly the candles above blew out and a loud wail filled their ears and vibrated their bones. Daniel and Teal'c's bodies were flung, goo and all, by a gust of wind onto a desk of books, collapsing it in a splintered heap beneath them. Gabriel felt the hot wind against him. It was as if a giant hand swatted his body across the room. The stone floor jarred every bone in his body when he landed. He didn't even have the chance to catch his breath when a hand grabbed him by the throat and lifted him high off the ground.

"You will pay for your insolence!" Viktor snarled.

"Viktor…wait!" Gabriel gagged finding it difficult to breath.

"Enough! Mina, quit playing and finish them!"

"Yes, master."

"Viktor…we…need…your help! The…survival…of this…world…depends…on…it!" Gabriel managed to choke out feeling Viktor's grip tightening slowly around his jugular.

* * *

There was no mistaking that roar or how pissed Jacob sounded. No doubt Colonel O'Neill was somehow involved. He was the one who called her, telling her to hightail it down to the Gate Room. Rushing in, Janet saw she was just in time! 

Jacob had the Colonel pinned high in a corner with his left hand wrapped around the Colonel's neck. O'Neill was holding on, for dear life, to Jacob's thick and powerful forearm. It was probably the only thing keeping him from choking to death with his feet dangling above the ground. Sam had attempted to call her dad off but he snipped and growled at her a couple of times, much like the mother or father wolf would do to their young, putting her in her place.

"I'm sorry about the bowl! And the leash joke!" Jack pleaded while continuing to struggle. "I didn't mean to call you a dog! And I never touched your daughter! I don't even know where you got that idea! I swear! I have too much respect for her to even think of that!"

"Jacob put him down!" Janet ordered as Jacob roared…again.

From Jacob's latest deep fear inducing growl, Janet half-expected the Colonel to piss his pants. She found it was actually kind of comical seeing O'Neill reduced to a fraction of the man he normally was. Pale faced and groveling for his life. Only it wasn't funny when Jacob's right claw flexed mere inches away from the Colonel's face.

"Whoa! Jake! Buddy! You don't really want to do this!" Jack stammered quickly. "You'll regret it when you're human again! I know because you like me! Right, Carter, you said your dad liked me!"

"Right!" Sam said helpfully. "Dad, why don't you put him down!"

Jacob's roar rumbled with such force that Janet felt it deep within her bones. She actually could see the windows of the control room vibrating above.

"Well, you used to like me," Jack said weakly.

"**JACOB!**" Janet snapped more angrily. "**PUT HIM DOWN…THIS INSTANT!**"

In an instant Jacob relaxed. He quit showing his teeth when he looked towards her. Janet pointed at the Colonel then at the ground.

"Or else…" she threatened raising an eyebrow and putting her hands on her hips.

Jacob shrugged his shoulders. Then, instead of slowly lowering the Colonel to the ground, Jacob merely opened his left hand and dropped him. Janet heard a low intermittent sound from Jacob, with an amused look on his face and saw his shoulders moving up and down. The bastard was **laughing**. And despite the fact that Jacob had pointed ears, a long snout and black fur all over his face, Janet could swear he was extremely pleased with himself.

Then he had the gall to give her a look as if to say, 'you owe me lady.' Janet glared at him again, warning him that **she** was the **alpha female** and was not at all amused. And then he started whining clutching his shoulder.

"Oh my God! What happened?" she asked just now noticing his injuries.

"McBride shot him with silver bullets," O'Neill answered rubbing his neck while sliding along the wall away from Jacob.

"What?" the women asked at the same time.

"Shouldn't he be dead?" Sam exclaimed.

"Maybe the little snake makes Jacob immune," the Colonel suggested immediately hearing a growl from Jacob.

Janet looked at O'Neill, as did Sam. It never ceased to amaze her when he actually said something intelligent. Of course, Janet always knew he was smarter than he led people to believe. But it was still a surprise.

Jacob whined even louder adding an emphatic yip letting her know he was in a great deal of pain.

"Alright, let's go Jacob," she smiled signally him to follow her.

Jack opened his mouth as if to say something but Jacob shot him a menacing look and snarled so ferociously that thick drool spattered across the Colonel's chest.

"Jacob, just ignore him…like we all do," Janet insisted, ignoring Jack's hurt look, and moving towards Jacob. Deliberately grabbing his good arm, she asked with a wicked smile, "Now that you've scared the piss out of Jack, are you going to change back?"

O'Neill snapped his head up from examining the slobber on his uniform and protested, "Hey! The only body fluids flowing around here came from Jacob…he drooled on me!"

"Whatever, Jack," she said waving a hand at him while pulling Jacob along.

Jacob looked at Janet perking his ears up, with one ear turned forward and the other turned sideways. Then he suddenly began to sway. She could see the whites of his eyes when they rolled towards the back of his head. She watched helplessly as Jacob fell backwards landing with such a heavy thud that tiny dust particles puffed into the air around him. Then his body quickly transformed back into its human form.

Janet fearing the worst quickly checked his pulse. It was racing. His skin was extremely hot to the touch when she felt his forehead and cheeks. She had been expecting it to be above normal but this was too much.

Suddenly his eyes opened and the whites flashed.

"_You must remove the bullets…they're _**_killing_**_ us_," Selmak weakly said then passed out.

"I need to get him to the infirmary now!" she ordered just as Jacob began seizing. "Colonel grab his upper body, Sam help me with his legs. Now! We can't wait for the gurney he's going to arrest!"

With Hammond and a gate technician helping O'Neill and Carter, they managed to get Jacob into the infirmary relatively fast. Hammond immediately ordered all non essential personnel out of the room. Probably in case Jacob decided to transform again. But Janet needed at least one of her nurses.

"Nurse Jennings, I need a line in him now!" Janet ordered while pulling the oxygen mask over Jacob's face. "Sam, Colonel…ice packs get them and put them under his neck and under his armpits. What's his temperature?"

"105!" Jennings replied.

"Get him a dose of antibiotics, now!" Janet ordered quickly grabbing the retractors, forceps, and a scalpel.

'At least I won't have to dig through your fur,' she thought to herself quickly slicing the swollen muscular tissue surrounding the bullet hole in Jacob's thigh. Thick blood began oozing.

"I need some suction here! I can't see a damn thing!"

Immediately Jennings had the blood cleared away enough for Janet to locate the bullet. It wasn't too deep. She was able to pull the soft muscle tissue back she and lifted the bullet out. Immediately blood began spurting.

"Shit! I need someone to keep pressure on it, now!" Janet ordered.

"Won't Selmak heal the injury?" Sam asked grabbing a gauze pad and quickly replaced Janet's hands on Jacob's leg.

"I don't know Sam," Janet said while moving around to the other side of the gurney. "If Selmak's sick or dying too, she might not be able to heal his injury at the moment."

"She?" O'Neill questioned.

"Not now Colonel! Out, you're in my way!" Janet snapped while cursing herself for letting that top-secret information slip. "Shit! The bullet's too deep!"

"He's temperature's 106! Blood pressures dropping!" Jennings announced.

"70 milligrams of dantraline!" Janet ordered seeing a surprised look on young nurse's face. "Just do it!"

Janet had no choice and no time. The scalpel quickly sliced deep. Jennings was quick to suction the free flowing blood away.

"Retractor!" she ordered setting down the scalpel.

Without looking to see who handed it to her, Janet snatched it, immediately using it to pull back some of Jacob's pectoral muscle. Picking up the scalpel. She sliced deeper into the muscular tissue.

"I see it! Forceps!" she snapped tossing the scalpel in a pan.

After what seemed like an eternity of digging into Jacob's muscle Janet finally yanked the bullet out. She watched for a long moment; his wound was not healing. Nor had the other one healed yet. In a fit of disgust, she dropped the bullet and forceps into the pan, then did the same with the retractor.

"His fevers not going down doctor," Jennings sadly informed Janet.

Her mind was frantic and her feelings on the verge of overwhelming her. Janet knew, if they didn't get Jacob's body temperature down he would soon die. Even though they had just recently expressed their feelings for each other, those feelings ran deep. The mere thought of losing him terrified her she couldn't imagine her life without him.

"Alright, strip him and pack on more ice! Get the ice on the groin and more around his neck!" she urgently ordered. "Let's flush the wounds to make sure we got everything out!"

Five agonizing minutes passed. His wounds were cleaned with no trace of bullet fragments. Jacob's body temperature peaked at 106 then dropped to 105.5. It wasn't much of at decline but at least it dropped.

"Why do you have to be so difficult?" she whispered resting her hand on his forehead.

"Janet, nothing is ever easy with my dad," Sam spoke softly resting a reassuring hand on Janet's shoulder.

"His fever's down to 104, Doctor," Jennings smiled. "Should I give him another dose of antibiotics?"

Janet nodded trying to fight her tears. She closed her eyes. One tear slowly rolled down her cheek as she let out a long sigh of relief. Suddenly a hand gently touched her face causing her to open her eyes.

"Don't cry doc. I don't mean to be such a pain in the ass," Jacob smiled weakly having already pulled the oxygen mask from his face.

Janet let her tears fall and she flashed that bright smile of hers at him while putting the mask back on.

"Yes you do."

* * *

"Yes, master," Mina hissed. 

His forearm snapped like a twig when Mina had appeared out of thin air and kicked it. The gun went sliding across the floor towards where Viktor was holding Gabriel. But Daniel was in too much pain to go after it. Teal'c tried but he was sent flying backwards, slamming hard against the wall. When he landed on the ground he wasn't moving.

"Viktor…we…need…your help! The…survival…of this…world…depends…on…it!" Gabriel gagged and choked as Viktor gripped Gabriel's jugular.

"Viktor, he speaks the truth!" Daniel grimaced cradling his broken arm. "Our world could be destroyed if you don't help us. If this world is destroyed, that means you die as well."

Gabriel was losing the battle, his legs stopped kicking and his eyes were slowly closing.

"More like Ra will return!" Daniel shouted on a gut instinct.

Gabriel was quickly dropped hitting the floor hard, then was coughing and gasping for air. Daniel also noticed Teal'c was slowly getting back to his feet and shaking his head. Mina was perched high above the fireplace with an evil grin on her face, awaiting her masters next move. Viktor slowly turned towards Daniel.

Viktor definitely was not the vampire Daniel had been expecting. He looked like a modern, casual businessman wearing black slacks, a white-buttoned dress shirt and a long black leather coat. His black hair was slightly grayed on the sides and neatly trimmed. His movements were graceful and full of purpose. He was obviously a distinguished gentleman with infinite patience. But in the blink of an eye, Viktor was suddenly standing in front of Daniel, startling him into jumping backwards and knocking some books down.

"Viktor, hear us out. Then if you still want to kill us…by all means try," Gabriel said getting to his feet.

"Very well," he said narrowing his emerald green eyes at Daniel.

* * *

Viktor sat relaxed in his chair by the fire. He was a patient man. Living for an eternity teaches one not to rush into anything. Plus, he knew the trio was not the usual travelers to venture through the forbidden forest to his castle. 

He was intrigued. Van Helsing was not here to kill him that much was obvious; the man was capable of so much more during a battle. The Jaffa, Teal'c, a warrior from a race Viktor thought had long since abandoned this world, along with their dangerous masters. And Daniel's claim that the Goa'uld could return to Earth was enough of a threat to put his revenge for Lucy on hold. Viktor despised the Goa'uld, his centuries of living had not dulled his distaste for them.

"Let me guess, you've managed to open the chapa'ai and, in typical human ignorance, caused a mess of galactic proportions?" Viktor asked.

"Well…no," Daniel replied. "We did open the Stargate…chapa'ai. We do explore other worlds to learn more about ourselves as a people. As well as find new technologies and medicines. We have managed to defend this planet from an attack by Apophis and have killed a few System Lords."

"Impressive. But what do you need my help for? As much as I despise the Goa'uld, I'm not one for going into battle against them."

"We've made a few Allies during our journeys," Daniel continued. "One is called the Tok'ra."

"Ah, the resistance group who fought against Ra and I presume, still are fighting against the other system lords!"

"Yes! A few years ago, one of the Tok'ra's oldest and wisest leaders blended with one of Earth's most trusted commanders. Our commander, General Jacob Carter is our liaison to the Tok'ra. If anything were to happen to either him or his symbiote while on Earth the alliance would fail."

"What happened to this Carter and his symbiote that sent you half way around to world looking for me?" Viktor questioned.

"Jacob has been bitten by a werewolf," Gabriel said. "Both he and his symbiote are infected."

"Oh," Viktor smiled. "And you came to me, seeking the wolf bane serum?"

"Yes." Daniel and Gabriel said.

"What do I get out of it?" Viktor asked getting to his feet. "After all, you killed **my** Lucy. She had been with me for nearly **two hundred** years. I loved her deeply. Plus, she and Mina were like sisters to each other. What is my compensation for helping you?"

"**You** get to live," Gabriel threatened moving towards Viktor.

"You would go against the Order's command that I not be harmed? Gabriel, that's not like you," Viktor smiled accepting Gabriel's obvious challenge.

"True, but the fate of the world outweighs anything you or I could possibly imagine," Gabriel countered taking on a more aggressive posture.

"Viktor, I am truly sorry," Daniel sincerely said quickly stepping between Viktor and Gabriel, literally holding them both at bay with his own hands. "You didn't give us much choice. We had to defend ourselves."

Viktor admired Daniel's courage. No one ever dared come so close to, let alone touch a vampire, unless they intended to kill it. He slightly bowed his head out of respect then returned to his chair.

"Has he chosen his mate?" Viktor asked.

"Yes," Gabriel sighed.

"Then you will need some for her too," Viktor replied.

"My friends are making sure she is safe," Daniel said.

"Daniel, when a man desires to be with a certain a woman, nothing on this earth will stop him. Especially a werewolf! I've worked with these creatures closely in the past. Trust me, she's already infected. A werewolf's desire to procreate has not dulled through the centuries even if they have been reduced to mere animals," Viktor insisted.

"Jacob is a different kind of werewolf, like none I've ever seen before," Gabriel added. "His symbiote appears to help him have some control of the change. Jacob even displays human mannerisms while in wolf form and shows his intelligence. Not to mention, he's the biggest werewolf I have ever laid eyes on."

"Interesting," Viktor mused gently rubbing his chin. "Still, it does not matter. The instinct to propagate the species in every werewolf is very strong, no matter how intelligent the man. He can't fight what's in his nature."

"He hasn't bitten her!" Daniel insisted.

"Daniel, Daniel…he doesn't necessarily have to bite her to infect her," Viktor scoffed.

"Oh!" Daniel exclaimed.

"O'Neill did inform us that General Carter was missing for nearly eight hours. Anything could have happened during that time," Teal'c added.

"I just can't imagine Janet lying to us," Daniel said to Teal'c.

"We often do foolish things when in love," Viktor smiled getting to his feet. "Come, tell me about Jacob. Is he a good man?"

"He's my friend, and the father of a very good friend of mine," Daniel said as they three men followed Viktor out of the room, immediately turning their flashlights on.

"General Carter is a capable warrior," Teal'c added.

"Such high praise from a Jaffa. What of the symbiote, are you certain the serum will work on the symbiote as well as its host?"

"Our doctors are more than capable of altering the serum to work on both Jacob and Selmak," Daniel answered.

"Selmak?" Viktor asked raising his eyebrows, literally stopping in his tracks.

"Jacob's symbiote," Gabriel stated.

Viktor started laughing causing the others to look at him curiously. He continued walking while still laughing.

"Do you know Selmak?" Daniel finally asked when they came to a door.

"One of the most stubborn, arrogant, opinionated, and passionate Tok'ra I ever met. Honestly, I am **astounded** that she allowed herself to be placed in a male host!"

Viktor waved his hand and the door opened to reveal a narrow stairwell.

"Selmak had no choice in the matter," Teal'c said as Viktor proceeded into the stairwell. "She would have died."

"Still, I am finding it hard to believe, knowing what I do of Selmak," Viktor continued.

"I'm curious, I thought the symbiote didn't care what their host was," Daniel said.

"Is that what the Tok'ra told you? Still arrogant and complacent as ever. Nice to know some things never change over time. It is true that the symbiote has no gender. However, they do have their preferences…and Selmak's was **female**. That General Carter must be one hell of a man to be able to put up with her!"

Viktor couldn't stop laughing. The more he thought about Selmak's situation the more he laughed. It had been centuries since he had a laugh like this and he was going to enjoy it.

"Can I ask how you know Selmak?" Daniel asked.

After a few moments, Viktor finally composed himself.

"Who do you think was responsible for the uprising against Ra," Viktor smiled as they reached to top of the tower.

* * *

Jacob opened his eyes blinking slowly as they adjusted to the bright ceiling lights above him. It took a few moments, but he soon realized the lights were moving, or actually, he was being moved through a tunnel. Only he was too weak to move his head in an attempt to see where he was being taken. A warm small hand gently squeezed his, then Janet's face appeared above him. She was smiling down at him only he didn't even have the energy to smile back. 

"How are you feeling?" she asked resting a hand on his forehead.

"I've been better," he grimaced.

"Your body has been running a steady temperature of 102 for the past hour. We've been giving you the standard antibiotics to keep it from rising, as well as fluids to keep you from dehydrating. Selmak's working hard releasing the antibodies to fight of the infection from your bullet wounds. So, you're going to be sick a little while longer. Can you hang in there?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"No," she smiled devilishly at him.

Jacob suddenly felt his stomach doing flip-flops. While the gurney was moving straight, he felt as if it was spinning like a top. His face felt flushed, his palms sweaty and his whole body had that achy feeling. He could already taste the bile at the back of his throat. It had lurched forcefully upward from his stomach and into his throat. There was no use keeping it down, he was too weak to try. He began gagging and coughing.

"Get him on his side!" Janet ordered just as thick fluid came spewing out his mouth.

The gurney jerked to a halted. Suddenly several pairs of hands grabbed him rolling him over until he could see the floor. His stomach rose up again in waves over and over.

"Jacob, just let it out," she cooed to him as he kept vomiting.

Jacob didn't know how long he was puking. Only that he would not have been surprised if he had coughed up his stomach along with part of an intestine. He was only vaguely aware of someone wiping his face and that he was moving again. He could barely even hear Janet's voice issuing orders.

"Jacob, we're going to move you to your bed now, ok?" she asked looking down on him again.

After a slow nod, two SFs appeared and assisted the nurses in lifting Jacob off the gurney, gently setting him down on his bed. Everyone, except Janet, quickly vacated the room. She was pulling the covers up to his chest and making sure his IV drip was secure. Then she disappeared into his bathroom.

His stomach was feeling much better. Except it was replaced with a killer headache. Instantly he felt the pain subside, a hint that Selmak was working on healing him. Which also meant that he wouldn't be hearing from her for a little while longer. He didn't like not hearing her.

"Leave that alone!" Janet ordered when he made a feeble attempt to remove the IV line from his hand. "Here some water to rinse your mouth with."

"I'm thirsty," he sighed.

"Ok, just a sip. I don't need you vomiting again, I can't carry you to the toilet by myself," she said holding his head up. "And leave the IV alone, allow it to do its job…**please**."

"Yes, ma'am," he smiled weakly, feeling a tremor run though his body.

"You, General, are one luck man," she smiled getting up and injecting something into his IV line. "According to Gabriel's friend, Carl, you are the first ever werewolf to survive being shot with silver bullets."

"I don't feel lucky at the moment," his teeth chattered.

"The virus in your body is similar to the flu. It has to run its course until Selmak gets it completely under control."

"She's weak…I can't hear her," he frowned feeling his tremors subside.

"You worry about her as much as she worries about you," she smiled sitting on the bed beside him while her hand tenderly stroked his chest.

"She's in my head! I can't help but worry."

"No, I mean the mutual feelings you have for each other."

Jacob sighed, "The blending between a symbiote and the host is complex. Often our feelings get intermixed and its hard to tell who's feeling what."

"Oh."

"Janet," he smiled managing to move his hand onto of hers, while hers was still on his chest. "The feelings I have for you are **mine**! Selmak's presence only makes them…more intense. In fact, she was bitching at me about why it took me so long to tell you how felt towards you."

Janet laughed softly making him smile. His energy was slowly beginning to return just from her laughter. Or maybe it was from the injection she gave him. Whatever, he didn't care he was beginning to feel better. Looking down at her hand he noticed he was wearing a fresh set of clothes.

"I see you couldn't resist taking my clothes off, could you…doc?" he smiled.

"Sorry to bruise your ego Jacob, but I'm not always thinking of ripping your clothes off and having wild sex. You scared me to death in the infirmary! I thought I was going to lose you!"

"Sorry to hear that," he frowned.

"I can forgive you. You're alive, that's what matters."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that too but I was actually talking about the wild sex part!" he smiled wickedly.

"Jacob! You nearly die and all you can think about is sex?"

"Sorry doc! I swear it's not entirely me but the wolf inside me…it makes me horny almost every time you're around."

"Then maybe I better leave so you can get some rest."

"No," he quickly said, holding tightly to her hand. "Please…stay."

"As long as you promise to behave."

"Scouts honor!"

Janet laughed, "Somehow I can't imagine you were ever a Boy Scout Jacob!"

Her laugh again was heart lifting. Only it wasn't enough to brighten his spirits. Earlier, he wasn't really reading that book when McBride came in. He had been thinking, both him and Selmak were actually thinking. Being confined and alone left them with little choice. Without Janet's presence to distract him, Jacob dwelled on the all the things that might go wrong. He couldn't help it. Being a General, one had to accept the bad with the good. It was life.

"Jacob? What's wrong?" she asked seriously.

"Did Carl saying thing about Daniel and the others finding the serum yet?" Jacob questioned.

"No," she sighed. "Carl lost radio contact with them not long after they set out on their mission. He's only been able to track their GPS locators. The Colonel did manage to talk to Daniel before they left the hotel. But that was the last time anyone talked with Daniel."

"Janet…if…if they don't find the serum…"

She put her hand to his mouth, silencing him.

"You must not think that way," she smiled.

"Janet," he pressed on, taking her hand in his. "We **have to** consider the possibility that they might not find the cure."

"Jacob…"

"Please, hear me out," he said forcing himself to sit up.

His head immediately felt as if it was on a swivel. Janet quickly placed a few pillows behind him, helping him to lean back before he fell forward.

"Thanks," he swallowed.

Janet wasn't smiling anymore. She was too intelligent of a woman. But she was also the forever optimist. She had to be in her line of work. Quite the opposite of him. Jacob turned her face towards him to see into her lovely soft brown eyes.

"Janet, I love you. There's nothing I want more than to be with you to express that love. But if Selmak and I are not cured…you and I can **never** be together."

"Jacob, don't say that," she pleaded with tears streaming down her cheeks. "You said you and Selmak could control the transformation!"

Jacob quickly took her face in his hands, wiping her tears away with his thumbs.

"Janet…it's getting harder to resist the change. When I'm a werewolf, I almost don't even hear Selmak's words within my mind. By the night of the full moon I won't respond to her at all. I'm afraid I might not even respond to you! If I were to hurt you…I couldn't live with myself!"

His own tears were now falling and he pulled her into his chest, clinging to her with all the strength he currently had.

"I love you…I love Sam…I would never subject either you or my family to keeping me locked away. I couldn't survive that way anyway. Neither could Selmak."

"What are you saying?"

Jacob squeezed his eyes shut and sighed deeply. His arms held onto her even tighter.

"Selmak and I both agree, if we are not cured, she can…she can end our lives by releasing a toxin into my bloodstream."

"Jacob no!" she gasped pulling back and looking into his eyes.

"Believe me Janet, I don't want to die. Neither does Selmak…but it may be the only way."

Her tears fell uncontrollably. Her body was trembling. All he could do was hold her tight, not caring his shirt was getting soaked. And he thought telling his daughter he had terminal cancer was hard. This was worse and he wasn't even done yet.

"Janet…I need you to do me a favor, please. I need a phone. I **really** need to talk with my son…before it's too late."

Janet tore out of his arms.

"JANET!" he called to her as she fled the room.

Jacob couldn't follow her; he could barely even sit up. His tears stung his eyes and blurred his vision but he didn't bother trying to wipe them away. He began wondering if Janet was even going to come back. It was heart wrenching, just laying there and not being able to go after to woman you love.

'Selmak! I need you!'

There was no reply. Jacob slid down and lay on his side, curling up beneath the covers.

'Selmak! Please!' he cried to her but still no response.

"God…help me," he wept and trembled.

The door beeped, indicating it was being unlocked. Jacob quickly sat back up hoping it was Janet. It was. She had a phone in her hand, but looked pissed even while she was still crying. When she was close enough, he yanked her onto his lap and held her tightly, kissing her face over and over.

"Please, don't ever do that to me again," he pleaded between his kisses.

"I'm sorry," she replied returning each of his kisses with her own.

His lips finally found hers. The kiss deepened, only in affection. In it he could taste the bitterness of the coffee she had been drinking. It excited his sense of taste causing him to probe deeper. But then Janet suddenly pulled away from him, leaving him panting for more.

"Now you listen to **me**, Jacob Carter!" she started taking his face in her hands.

Jacob gulped hard. She was really pissed at him!

"You **better** work harder at fighting this thing! I **don't** want to hear any more of your doom and gloom ideas! You got it **mister**! **I love you** too damn much and I have **no** intention of losing you! **Understood**?"

Before Jacob could reply, Janet kissed him, just as deeply and affectionate as before. Only this time he could feel her fingers digging into his back muscles. Her body pressed hard against him with a craving that ignited his own. Given the condition he was in, he was quite surprised when his own body began to respond. Only now wasn't the time.

'God I love her!' he thought, deliberately slowing down his affections.

He had to stop, not that he wanted to he just had to. It was with great reluctance that he gently coerced her to ease off. But Janet wasn't upset. There seemed to be an unspoken understanding between them. He could see it in her smile.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't be…I'm not," he sighed, caressing her face with his fingertips.

"I'll plug the phone in for you," she smiled, slowly moving off of him.

A long sigh escaped him while he watched her plug the phone in.

"Stay with me? Please," he pleaded reaching for her hand.

"Are you sure?"

He nodded, then gently pulled her back onto the bed. With Janet snuggled in one arm beside him, his other arm reached for the phone. His hand trembled when he dialed the number but not because he was ill but because he was scared. Talking with Mark had always been difficult. With what Jacob had to say, this was going to be an extremely difficult conversation. Taking a deep breath, he listened to the line ring.

"Mark?"

"_Dad? What's wrong? Is everything ok?"_

Jacob sighed, "No…it's not ok."

"_Dad…"_

"Just listen son…I'm sorry, there is a strong chance I won't be there for Halloween like I promised my grandkids."

Jacob paused. This was more difficult than he realized. His eyes welled up and he couldn't stop the tears from falling. Janet's arm wrapped around his chest giving him a gently squeeze of encouragement.

"_Dad?_"

"I'm sorry for being such a screw up as a father," Jacob blurted out.

"_Dad, what's wrong_?"

"I have treasured the past couple of years between us. But I know they don't make up for everything in the past. For that...I'm sorry."

"_Dad, what the hell is going on?"_

"I'm in trouble Mark…and I'm in over my head on this one..."

Silence.

"I love you son," Jacob's voice cracked. "I know I haven't been able to tell you that as often as I should but I love you…always have and I always will. And I'm proud of you…you're ten times the father I ever was…your mother would be proud too."

"_Dad, I love you too! But you're scaring me. Dad, please, tell me what's wrong_!"

"I can't boy…I…" Jacob exhaled then took the phone away from his mouth.

"Jacob, you're doing fine," Janet whispered to him after she sat up beside him and wiped his tears. "Say something."

"_Are _y_ou there? Dad_?"

"I'm here son," he sighed. "God I would give anything to be there with you. Just so I can hug you and my grandkids!"

"_I wish you were here too dad_," Jacob heard Mark sniffle.

Hearing his own son crying made Jacob's tears flow more freely. He still hated it when either of his kids cried.

"Do me a favor, give them a big hug and kiss for me. Tell them I'm sorry and that I love them very much."

"_Ok dad…I'll tell them_."

Jacob reached for Janet's hand and smiled.

"I can' t tell you what's going on…top secret shit…but if, by some miracle, I get out of this there's someone I want you to meet. Her name's Janet."

"_Sam's friend_?"

"You know her?"

"_Dad, are you sure you know what you're getting into? I met her once…she's scary!"_

Jacob laughed, "It's already too late, son! I'm in way too deep!"

"_You love her that much_?"

"Yes! I love her deeply."

"_I'm happy for you dad! Just…take care of yourself. I **will** be expecting to hear from you very soon. I know that Carter stubbornness…you'll find a way to beat this thing…whatever it is_."

"Thank you son, that means so much to me."

"_Bye dad, see you soon_."

"Bye son."

Janet took the phone from him and set it on the floor. Then she gently wiped his tears, which seemed to still be flowing nonstop.

"Will you stay with me?" he sobbed.

"Jacob, I'm not going anywhere," she smiled snuggling against his chest.


	9. Chapter Nine

1000 hours October 30, the day before the full moon

The commissary was practically deserted, now that the main breakfast rush was gone. But Jack found Major Carter was still eating. Judging from the amount of food on her plate, he figured she either had just arrived or she wasn't really that hungry. Before joining her, Jack quickly grabbed a tray, a cup of coffee and smiled when he saw the bowls of Fruit Loops.

Having Fruit Loops for breakfast meant it was going to be a very good day. Whenever Jack didn't get his Fruit Loops, it was a bad day. Just like yesterday! They were completely out of Fruit Loops. Jack should have known right then and there that it was a bad omen. For starters, Jack had to bring Jacob his early morning breakfast. Big mistake! Especially when Jack opened his mouth. Really, all he did was ask Jacob 'how's it hanging' and the guy snapped thinking Jack was making another dog joke.

Not only did Jacob tear though another set of clothes, but he also destroyed another bed, frame and all. After which, Jack had to endure yet another lecture from General Hammond. He had spent most of the day avoiding anyone whose rank was higher than his was. And because he was so worried about being thrown to the 'wolves' Jack didn't notice how edgy Colonel McBride had been. He was grateful to have arrived in time at Jacob's quarters before McBride emptied the gun.

Too bad Jacob wasn't very appreciative. He tore out of his room like a bat out of hell without so much as a thank you. Then of course, Jack knew Hammond was going to blame him for letting Jacob loose. Hammond didn't say it was his fault, but Jack could tell just by the tone of his voice when he informed the General that Jacob was on the prowl that Hammond wasn't very happy. He even noticed that Hammond didn't stop him from chasing Carter into the Gate Room with she went to help dear old dad!

After the 'incident' Jack had to check his drawers just to make sure he didn't shit his pants. Much to his relief, they were clean. He just needed a clean shirt because of the slobber from Jacob. Oh, well, it could have been a lot worse.

But today was a new day. Thank God for such a miracle. The coffee was fresh. The Fruit Loops were plentiful. And Colonel Jack O'Neill was one happy camper. It was going to be a good day!

"Morning, Carter," he smiled brightly sitting across from her.

"Good morning, Sir. Has General Hammond arrived?"

"Yes, he's talking with Dr. Mckenzie about Colonel McBride's evaluation! Doc had to sedate the Colonel because he was getting violent, making more death threats towards your dad. They're transferring McBride to the nut factory early this afternoon."

"Sir, I want to thank you for saving my father," she sighed.

'Well, at least one Carter appreciates my talents,' Jack thought to himself while taking a long sip of coffee.

"I know if he were himself, he would thank you too," she added then quickly hid that smirk of hers behind her coffee cup.

"Don't worry Carter. My feelings won't be hurt if I don't get a Christmas card from you dad. By the way, how is he doing?"

"I haven't seen him yet," she smiled. "I'll be taking him his second breakfast. So he must be feeling better."

"Rumor has it the Doc Fraiser stayed with him all night! Even after he puked up his guts!" Jack smirked.

"Sir…I'm trying to eat," she protested.

"Sorry," he smiled seeing Dr. Fraiser heading towards their table. "Speak of the little devil; here comes our resident expert on our werewolf!"

Jack and the Major stopped in mid-bite when Dr. Fraiser sat down. Her tray was full with pancakes, cereal, scrambled eggs, and a few pieces of toast, with her coffee and a glass of orange juice.

"A little hungry Doc?"

"Don't start with me Colonel!" she warned pointing her fork at him. "I need not remind you that I saved your ass from Jacob last night."

Jack instantly shrank in his seat. He was trying to forget about what happened last night. Hoping everyone else would too. In fact, he was planing not to see Jacob again until the man was cured. And even then, just to be safe, Jack would keep his distance by remaining across the room from the man.

"Besides," Janet continued while cutting into her pancakes. "I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday, and I was up all night!"

"Dad being a pain in the ass?" Sam asked.

Janet smiled but didn't say anything.

"Jacob seemed rather playful," Jack couldn't resist saying just to wipe that smirk off Janet's face because he had actually seen some of the video of her and Jacob playing doctor under the covers.

He may have succeeded in just that, only her glare made him shrink in his seat again. He half expected her to reach across the table and strangle him.

"General Hammond!" Jack called quickly when he saw the man enter the commissary. Hammond would save him, as Hammond still liked him…sort of. "Join us…please!"

"Sorry, people," he smiled. "I thought you might like to know, Daniel's arrived…with the serum. Him, Teal'c and Gabriel are on their way down right now."

"Yes!" Jack exclaimed jumping to his feet causing them to look at him strangely. "Sorry."

"Sir, with your permission, I need to see Jacob. I need his blood in order to work on the serum," Janet said.

"Permission, granted," Hammond smiled.

Jack watched Janet grab a few pieces of toast before she quickly left but didn't think anything of it. He quickly spooned down his bowl of Fruit Loops before heading out. Someone had to keep an eye on Janet when she was with Jacob.

* * *

Jacob had been alone, resting comfortably in his quarters for a few hours now. There was no trace of the illness caused by the silver bullets. It had taken nearly eight hours for Selmak to rid their bodies of the sickness.

During those hours Janet refused to leave him. She only left early in the morning because she needed some sleep, and he wasn't letting her get any. With each passing hour he had been getting better. As he was getting better he began talking more and more. The more he was talking the more his hands were exploring her most intimate regions.

The two of them were like a couple of teenagers, hiding under the covers giggling and touching each other. Hiding beneath the blanket only because of the camera. Every so often he would look to see the red light was still on, indicating that the camera was on too. Jacob kept expecting someone to burst through the door to break them up by dousing them with cold water from a hose. But no one ever did. He figured the guys in the monitor room were making bets on how far Jacob was willing to go.

Only, Jacob didn't give them the satisfaction. He didn't take his affections with Janet to the next level. Besides, each time he got too frisky Janet just started tickling him, making him laugh some of that over zealous energy away.

All of the time wasn't spent playing though. Most of it was them just talking. They learned so much about each other. Jacob told Janet as much as he could about himself. Even things he thought he would never tell anyone. And she told him everything about herself. He made her tell him about her daughter, Cassie. He wanted to know about everything that was important to her. And he wasn't surprised to find out they had a lot in common. They loved opera, fast cars, and cooking. And of course, each other, they greatly enjoyed each other's company.

Janet promised to cook him one of her specialties. A home cooked meal was something Jacob was greatly looking forward to. He can't remember the last Earth home cooked meal he actually had. And anything would be better than the commissary food he's been forced to digest lately. Even though he was getting steak, the cooks didn't know how to cook it properly. From what Sam told him, Janet was an excellent cook.

As if on queue, his little angel with the devilish grin came waltzing in. Janet looked well rested after only about four hours of sleep. Her hair was neatly clasped high and off her neck. Jacob chuckled. He could still see the hickey he gave her a few days ago. Of course, it might have been gone by now if he was sucking on her neck during the early morning hours.

"The serum's here!" she said excitedly while removing a couple of vials and a needle from her lab coat pocket. "Daniel, Teal'c, and Gabriel are on their way down. I need some of your blood."

"Are you sure you can alter the serum so it will work on Selmak and I?" he asked extended his arm for her.

"We will," she smiled confidently prepping his arm to draw the blood. "And what did I tell you?"

"No more doom and gloom," he smiled warmly.

Watching the vial quickly fill with his blood, Jacob suddenly caught a whiff of something in the air. He inhaled slowly and deeply to discover the source was Janet. As she was filling the second vial, he leaned forward taking in her scent. Something was different about her. Something he found extremely appealing. Something so thrilling his heart started racing with excitement.

"I'm going to take these to the lab. I want to have everything ready for when Daniel and his friend bring me the serum," she said getting up to leave.

Something in him was awakened. An instinct, an intuition perhaps. Whatever it was, he couldn't allow her to leave. It was easy with his werewolf abilities to beat her to the door, even when she was a few feet away from it.

"Jacob!" she exclaimed, startled by his swift movement to block the door.

A low playful growl sounded in his throat. And his intuition was correct, she growled back. Jacob smiled. Never taking his eyes from hers, he reached up, removing the clip holding her hair up and allowed her hair to fall on her shoulders. Then his nose gently nuzzled her hair, slowly taking in her scent.

As his nose gradually traveled from her face to the mark on her neck. His excitement grew. His heart felt as if it was going to burst from his chest. Then much to his delight, Janet growled softly again. Her nose teased him, quickly brushing against his neck causing him to growl eagerly.

Only it was Janet who made the first move, aggressively pushing him against the wall. Jacob felt his body tremble with anticipation when she grabbed his black T-shirt by the collar. She ripped his shirt open exposing his heaving chest to her moist lips.

Jacob couldn't wait any longer grabbing hold of her arms. Her eyes were filled with a hunger that matched his. They kissed with fierce desire. He pushed her lab coat off her shoulders, letting it dropped onto the floor before lifting her off her feet. Then on the bed, with her legs wrapped tightly around him, he was so consumed by what he was feeling that he couldn't tell if he was whimpering, or if she was whimpering during their kisses. All he knew was that her clothes were inconveniently in the way. Finally, out of frustration, he just tore open her blouse sending its buttons high into the air.

Janet smiled hungrily up at him while he heard the buttons blouse bouncing on the floor. The sound of her heart racing was music to his ears when he nuzzled her breasts with his face. He could even hear the sounds of his heart pumping his blood furiously. And he could feel her body trembling beneath him as his nose filled with her scent.

As far as Jacob was concerned, his entire world was Janet. Everything else didn't matter it didn't exist. And he allowed himself to be completely engulfed by her.

* * *

"How's the arm?" Jack asked Daniel when he arrived with Teal'c and Gabriel at the monitor station down the hall from Jacob's isolation quarters.

"Broken," Daniel winced readjusting the arm sling.

"Well, maybe after the Doc cures Jacob, he can use that healing device thing."

"Where is Dr. Fraiser?" Gabriel asked showing Jack a large clear container with an almost glowing purplish liquid. "I thought she would be the first one to greet us to take this."

"She went to get some blood from Jacob," Jack answered turning back to the monitor. "See! She's the only one who could tame that beast."

"What are they doing?" Daniel asked pointing at the screen.

"Why can't we hear anything?" Gabriel asked.

"Not a problem," Jack smiled flipping a switch.

"Are they…growling?" Daniel asked making Jack turn the volume up slightly.

"Yes," Gabriel said as they watched the monitor.

"Wow! She's an aggressive little minx!" Jack exclaimed as they watched Janet pushing Jacob around. "That or this is finally the end of a long dry spell for her!"

"First growling, followed by mutual sniffing, then…Viktor was right, she's been infected," Gabriel sighed.

"What? How?" Jack quickly asked. "He's never bitten her! Maybe drooled but not one love bite!"

"Apparently a bit isn't the only way to infect a woman," Daniel commented. "Jacob **was** missing for nearly eight hours, right?"

"Shit! She **lied** to me!" Jack seethed glaring at the computer screen. "I'm going to get her for that!"

"Shouldn't we get her out of there?" Daniel asked Gabriel.

"What, are you nuts?" Jack replied squirming in his seat. "Trust me; you don't want to be in the same room with Jacob when he's pissed!"

"We need her to make the serum work," Daniel continued.

"When she comes out, we'll inject her with the serum," Gabriel said. "Viktor was confident the unaltered serum should work on her."

"Yeah, how long could it take them to…you know?" Jack asked.

"The symbiote can sustain him for many hours," Teal'c simply stated causing the other guys to look at him with their eyebrows raised.

"Really?" the three of them said together then slowly turned back to the screen.

There was a long moment of silence as they watched at the screen.

Turning back to Teal'c, Jack cleared his throat then asked, "Just curious…how many is **many**?"

Teal'c just smiled and raised his right eyebrow.

"Jake you lucky dog," Jack whispered to himself.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Major Carter's voice sounded from behind them.

Jack quickly flipped a switch, shutting the camera, and sound, to Jacob's room off. The monitor instantly showed static as he got to his feet.

"Nothing!" he and Daniel said together.

"In fact there is…" Teal'c started.

"**Nothing**!" Jack insisted with an emphatic hand gesture towards Teal'c. "There's nothing going on! **Right** Daniel?"

"Right!" Daniel agreed.

"What's wrong with the camera?" Sam asked moving to examine the controls.

All the guys looked at each other but it was Jack who spoke.

"**Trust me** Carter. There are just some things a kid should **never** see one of their parents doing!" Jack said grabbing her hand away from the controls.

As Sam blinked at him, Jack prayed she got the subtle hint. He didn't think he would be able to explain her dad and Janet were doing the wild thing…and that they could be at it for **many** hours!

* * *

When Janet woke up she couldn't move. She was utterly exhausted. However, she really couldn't move because Jacob had his right leg over both her legs. His right arm was wrapped tightly around her waist. Her right arm was asleep because his head was resting like a rock on her shoulder.

"Jacob, move," she whispered stroking his face.

He moved...in the wrong direction. Janet literally felt crushed by his weight. Judging from his soft snoring and completely relaxed look on his face, he was in such a deep sleep that it was no use trying to move him; he was like dead weight on her chest.

"Jacob, you have to move now! I need to work on altering the serum to cure you!" she said seeing if that would make him move.

Nope.

"Jacob!" she snapped shaking him.

A deep growl rumbled in his throat. The sensation tickled her and she giggled. But still, he did not move, nor did he wake up.

"Shit! Selmak! Selmak, if you're awake in there…move him off me!"

Still in a deep sleep, Jacob rolled off her onto his back. Free, Janet quickly gathered up her clothes and hurried into the bathroom. While she was getting dressed, she was thankful her blouse was just missing buttons and that nothing else was damaged. At least her blouse was still good enough to get her to her office where she could exchange it for another.

Heading back into the room, Janet found where Jacob dropped her clip. While fixing up her hair she noticed the camera's red light was off.

"Oh God…I hope it was off the whole time," she swallowed nervously then looked over to Jacob.

He was back on his stomach. Janet quickly picked the blanket up off the floor and gently covered

him. At least when the camera came back on he wouldn't be exposed. Janet actually wondered if he even cared about that anymore. They both had forgotten about the camera earlier.

"I love you Jacob," she whispered kissing his cheek.

He smiled, snuggling under the covers and suddenly she didn't want to leave him. Her instinct was telling her she needed to stay with him, that it would be wrong to leave him. It was a strong instinct. Fortified by the memory of what they had done during the past several hours. Her body literally ached for his touch.

'What the hell is happening to me?' she asked herself while shaking her head. 'The serum…I have to work on the serum! But…how can I leave him?'

Janet slowly reached for him. Suddenly her watch chimed on the hour, snapping her out of her daze. It was six in the evening.

'Shit! That can't be the time! Jacob…you have no concept of time do you? Not that I'm complaining…what am I saying! Shit!'

Going to the door, but before opening it, Janet looked over to Jacob one last time. Leaving him still felt wrong. She couldn't explain it. She couldn't even explain what got into her or why she allowed Jacob to stop her from leaving so many hours ago. All she knew then was that she wanted him…badly. She still did.

She quickly opened the door before her resolve weakened again. With all the will she could muster, Janet thought only about the serum and curing Jacob. That thought distracted her enough to leave him. The SFs stood stoned face, not acknowledging her presence as she quietly closed the door. She was ignoring them anyway. Once the door was locked, she hurried down the tunnel towards the lab.

"Wow! It's about time!" a familiar voice sounded from behind her.

"Colonel?"

Someone suddenly grabbed her from behind before she could turn around. Turning her head, she saw Teal'c and Daniel's friend Gabriel.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" she demanded as she struggled.

"Sorry doc, but you're infected," O'Neill smiled holding a syringe filled with a purplish substance.

"That's ridiculous!"

"I'm afraid it is true," Gabriel solemnly said and actually looked sad about it.

"Well, well…the tables are turned!" O'Neill smiled, obviously taking great pleasure in getting to stick her, with a rather large needle, for once!

Damn it if Janet was going to let **him** stick her with a needle. **Anyone** but Jack! She began struggling more fiercely. She did managed to yank her arm free from Gabriel's grasped but Teal'c was quick to wrap his arms tightly around her, pinning her arms to her sides, and lifting her off the ground.

"Doc, it's for you own good!" O'Neill insisted wiggling the syringe with a huge grin on his face.

"I'm not infected!" she snapped.

With no other options, Janet kicked the Colonel when he was close enough. Right on target too…in the groin! The Colonel doubled over and went down fast, gasping and choking for air. The syringe rolled on the floor out of his hand.

"Teal'c, hold her tight!" Gabriel shouted moving to pick the syringe up off the floor. He quickly jabbed the needle in the muscle of her upper arm. "I am truly sorry Dr. Fraiser, but it is necessary."

"But he never bit me," she insisted, feeling her body relaxing as the darkness was slowly closing in.

"She'll only be unconscious for a few minutes," Gabriel's voice said while she fought to stay awake. "Jack…you going to be alright?"

"What the hell do you think?" he coughed still lying curled on his side. "Honestly guys…I don't think that I will ever be thinking about having children…not ever!"

Janet smiled. Quite pleased, she finally passed out.

* * *

For the past couple of days, Selmak had been enjoying the emotional roller coaster ride Jacob was experiencing. From being terrified by his initial transformation to being elated at running wild through the forest as a werewolf. From being passive about his feelings for Dr. Fraiser to actually acting upon those feelings and admitting he deeply loved her. And to just having fun being a werewolf and tormenting Colonel O'Neill!

But leave it to her host to bring them down from such an emotional high to the lowest of lows. At the time, Selmak hated to admit it, but Jacob had been right to bring up the issue that they might not be cured. Selmak just had the faith that Dr. Jackson would get the job done. Not Jacob! **No!** Not her grouchy, sourpuss, of a host who couldn't even enjoy a good thing when he had it sitting right on his lap!

Even with Selmak, her host's trusted co-pilot, signaling that all systems were a **go** while Janet had been kissing Jacob! They were ready for lift off when her fingers dug into his back! The skies were friendly! Hell, the skies were **wide open**! They were ready to go off in to the wild blue yonder! The course was set for the stratosphere.

Only there had been no cloud nine, no heavenly pleasures. Selmak had to assume the crash position, tucking her head between her imaginary legs and kissed her **symbiote ass **good-bye, as Jacob crashed and burned **right** on the runway! The stupid fool had grounded Janet. True he was still sick. And if Selmak hadn't been sick too, she would have smack him on the brain stem for turning down sex. She enjoyed it just as much as he did.

A fact that she would **never** admit to him.

True, when she was in deep meditation their thoughts were disconnected. But she could still feel…everything. Selmak still remembered that first time Jacob had finally taken the plunge into symbiote enhanced sex. They had both been nervous. It had been a long dry spell for Selmak. But she had been nervous because it was the first time in a male host. Compared to her experiences within a female host she wasn't sure if the sensations would be the same. And Jacob? Well, he just wasn't quite sure what to expect.

Much to Selmak's delight the ecstasy felt was exactly the same for her. And much to her amusement, Jacob marveled in his new abilities, perhaps a little too much that first night. The memory of him overexerting himself still makes her giggle; the poor man couldn't move for several hours. But her host was quick to learn how to use his new abilities and he even learned some new, more pleasurable, techniques. Having that female perspective helped him to a more attentive lover.

Of course, Jacob was most attentive that first night with Janet. Selmak had been feeling anxious, so had Jacob, but to her surprise her host had been extremely patient. Every touch, every kiss had been slow and deliberate as he explored every curve, every crevice, as if he wanted to know every centimeter of the woman he deeply loved.

It had been such a long time since a host of Selmak's had made love with true passion and deep affection. She had allowed herself to be completely engulfed by Jacob's sensations. His love for Janet was at times…overwhelming. And she loved it because her host was always in high spirits. There were several times during the past few days she wanted nothing more than to hug and kiss the big grouch, but she could only send him her warm feelings of her gratification through their emotional bond.

However earlier today, things were back to normal. Selmak had felt like strangling Jacob because, the idiot had completely ignored her. Yesterday, she could forgive him. He was in his werewolf form tormenting Jack and she was enjoying it, just as much as Jacob was. Initially Selmak attempted to call off Jacob but then thought better of it; it was entirely too much fun watching Jack squirm. Someone needed to put that guy in his place, Jacob was in perfect form to do so.

Today of all days, when the serum was on its way down, when they were possibly going to be cured, Jacob decided he wanted to have a little roll on the bed with Janet. Initially, when Jacob was sniffing Janet, Selmak had been so giddy with excitement about the serum arriving that she hadn't been paying attention to what they were doing. Janet's growl quickly snapped Selmak out of her giddiness. She was shocked to discover that the woman had been infected. She couldn't even figure out how it happened, Jacob never bit Janet hard enough to break the skin. However, Selmak **did** find it rather amusing that Janet was as equally aggressive with Jacob as she; the man needed to be pushed around from time to time.

But now, while Jacob had slept deeply, Selmak still could not fathom how Janet became infected. The wolf's venom was transmitted through a bite. The bite could only be while in werewolf form. The bite itself had to break the skin in order to infect the blood directly. But Jacob never bit anyone in werewolf form. Well any human…there was that deer they came across when running back to the SGC. But Jacob had eaten most of the creature because he was hungry and she was craving protein.

The sound of Janet's voice distracted her momentarily from her thoughts. Selmak suddenly thought of asking Janet then quickly decided against it, not wanting to risk waking Jacob. After wasting many hours with him the doctor really had to go work on the cure.

"Shit! Selmak! Selmak, if you're awake in there…move him off me!"

As requested, Selmak immediately dampened Jacob's senses and moved his body, without him ever realizing it. A few moments later, Jacob moved and Selmak held her breath. Now was not a good time for him to wake up. She knew where his mind was, even while he slept he was thinking of it!

"I love you Jacob!" Janet said.

'Shit woman…will you go before you do wake him up!' Selmak thought angrily to herself. 'I need to think and you're distracting me!'

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, a door opened and closed. She was finally alone with her thoughts.

'How did Janet become infected?' she thought without rousing Jacob. 'Ok, I can do this! Let's see…the venom is transferred from the saliva into the blood stream. It's not present in the saliva when Jacob is human…why is that…how the hell should I know! Ok…relax Selmak…think! There has to be another way the venom is transmitted. Shit…Jacob you are such a pain in the **ASS**!'

Jacob snorted and Selmak quickly dampened her thoughts. When she was pissed or agitated sometimes her thoughts were too loud and he would hear them. Thankfully he didn't wake. Selmak really need some aspirin…she was getting a headache and Jacob's dreams were becoming too distracting.

'Jacob…really, you never used to think about sex this much! Not even when…Oh…it can't be that simple! Well…I suppose that would make sense. It's only natural to create offspring to ensure the survival of the species. And once Jacob realized Janet was just like him…well the two were going at it like a couple of energizer bunnies…just going…and going…Oh crap! I've got to stop watching television! It's corrupting me! All those subliminal messages in commercials! How do they expect anyone to eat a Snickers bar without thinking of **SEX**?'

Jacob moaned and rolled around again. Selmak remained quiet, having to dampen her thoughts again.

'Wait! That can't be it. I prevented Jacob from getting Janet pregnant. But she was infected already. So the only other time would have been on the night of our escape. I took the same precautions then. Janet's right, the man has not concept of time when he's making love. Well…I wonder who's responsible for that…oh…it's me…'

Selmak giggled to herself uncontrollably. Something she's been doing a lot ever since Jacob became a werewolf. She was instantly reminded her of that night Jacob howled for the first time. His howl tickled and she lost control giggling hysterically. It had been a long time since she laughed like that and she allowed herself to enjoy it for as long as possible. She basked in the memory, remembering how good she felt at the time. How completely consumed by her giggles that she had totally lost track of what Jacob had been doing. She had felt so exhilarated when they were running back to the SGC. Only they weren't running back to the SGC…Jacob was…

'**Oops**!'

'Selmak?' Jacob's mind called still in a deep sleep.

Selmak held her breath and waited. Jacob moved on the bed again but didn't wake.

'Crap…crap…crap!' Selmak exclaimed to herself. 'Maybe he won't find out! Oh…whom the hell am I kidding? The second Janet finds out she's pregnant she's going to tell him. Then Jacob's going to get mad at me. And gee…I wonder who's he's going to blame…well that would be…**ME**! Well…it's his fault, **NOT MINE**! I may be riding shotgun but I'm not the one **SHOOTING OFF**!'

"Janet?" Jacob's voice called.

His mind was slowly beginning to wake. But he still couldn't hear Selmak's thoughts, especially those thoughts she was keeping to herself. And she was never planning on tell him either.

'If Janet's pregnant…does that mean she's going to have a **litter**?' Selmak asked herself while pretending to be asleep in Jacob's mind. 'What does that make me? An aunt? Auntie Sel sounds nice. I'm certain Auntie Sel is better than anything daddy dearest could ever come up with. Hmm…I wonder, does Jacob even remember how to change a diaper?'

Selmak rummaged around in Jacob's memories as he slowly sat up yawning. It took a few milliseconds but she found his memories of when Mark and Sam were babies. The two Carter babes seemed to cry a lot when Jacob held them. There were numerous times they puked on his uniform and then were instantly plopped into their mother's arms, while she was laughing at her husband.

Then there was the time Mark was sick and Allison had to take him to the doctor, leaving Jacob alone to take care of Sam. Sam was only six months at the time. Jacob stood there uncertain as Allison was explaining to him when to feed Sam and how long to warm up the bottle. Meanwhile, he could smell the baby poop from ten feet away and had asked if Allison would take care of it before she left.

Only she didn't and left him standing there holding a diaper, baby powder, Desitin, and baby wipes. And left him to wonder what order they were supposed to be used since he had **never** changed a diaper before. He always managed to weasel his way out of changing them. But not this time. This time he was left standing ten feet from a smelly, crying baby. He even called George for advice but there was no answer at the Hammond residence. The smell was getting to him more than Sam's crying, so he decided the hell with it and attempted to change the diaper.

'Oh dear…' she gasped and shook her head. 'Jacob…there is so much you need to learn! Poor Samantha…'

"JANET!" Jacob cried out.

'Jacob, Janet's working on the cure, remember? The serum arrived hours ago!' she harrumphed.

Something was wrong! Her words didn't even penetrate Jacob's mind. He was frantic. Selmak watched from the corner of her host's mind, as he searched the room, repeatedly calling for Janet. The more he called for her the more desperate he sounded.

Selmak could feel his heart race with fear. She could feel his anxiety as he pounded furiously on the door while calling for Janet. And again, Selmak's words did not penetrate his mind.

Selmak couldn't understand at first. Then she realized the wolf in him was now in total control, even in his human form. She watched horrified as Jacob's fists became bloodied from pounding on the door over and over.

Then she was jolted when his body transformed unexpectedly. Selmak quickly healed his wounds then witnessed Jacob's frenzy. The table was smashed into pieces and the bed, frame and all, ripped to shreds. This went on for what seemed to be an hour. During which time Selmak desperately still tried to reach him. She would be the only one because she knew General Hammond wouldn't risk sending any of his people in, including Janet, to restrain Jacob. No one would volunteer anyway when Jacob was in his werewolf form; he scared the piss out of them.

Jacob finally stopped his tirade and bellowed a long howl, so deep in emotion. Selmak was so overwhelmed by such a sense of complete loneliness that she wept. It dawned on her that he was calling for his mate over and over. Jacob was inconsolable. And against Hammond's better judgement, she saw that he did send someone in with a tranquilizer gun. Only Jacob was too fast and fierce with his hair raised and jaws snapping. The SF barely made it out of the room.

Finally, after a long hour he grew silent but the loneliness deepened. Still in werewolf form, Jacob lay in the corner and wept. Selmak did the only thing she could do for him, she helped him to fall asleep. But even in his sleep he continued to whine and whimper. She sent him her warmth and affection, hoping to reach out to him in some way to comfort him.

* * *

Standing in the tunnel, Hammond could hear Jacob's howl. The sound was full of sorrow that one couldn't help but be affected by it. Only there was nothing he or anyone could do to help Jacob. After his violent tirade Hammond wouldn't allow anyone in the room, not even to give Jacob his meal.

But the howling was going on for too long and George grew concerned that his friend might hurt himself. So, he sent a guard in. The soldier came out shaking so badly that Hammond had him taken to the infirmary.

Hammond went to look at the monitor. The sound was permanently on now. The room was a disaster. Jacob was curled up in a corner, still in werewolf form. Periodically Hammond would hear Jacob whining even though he appeared to be asleep.

"Just hang in there Jacob…a little while longer," Hammond whispered to the screen then thought, 'I'm sorry Jacob, but you're going to have to sleep on the floor until you're cured. My hand's cramping from filling out all the paperwork for you!'

* * *

"We've been at this for more than half a day! And still nothing!" Janet snapped angrily to no one but herself.

"We still have twelve hours left," Sam smiled optimistically.

Janet sat resting her face in her hands. Actually she was hiding the tears from Sam. She had tried everything she knew to alter the serum to work on Jacob. Nothing was working. This meant the probability of her losing him was increasing with each passing minute.

"Janet, you've been working all night. You need a break," Sam said putting an arm around Janet's shoulders. "Go check on my father. General Hammond said he's not doing so well without you."

Janet smiled, "I talked with Cassie over the phone this morning. I told her about Jacob. That he wants to meet her and take us both to dinner."

"Sounds serious," Sam smiled devilishly.

Janet laughed softly. It was such a surprise to her when Sam explained her feelings regarding the relationship Janet was having with Jacob. Janet thought for sure Sam that would be angry or uncomfortable about the whole situation. Only Sam was extremely happy about, mainly because her father was obviously very happy about the relationship. But she was happy to see that her best friend was happy too.

"Cassie didn't react like I was expecting," Janet continued.

"How so?" Sam asked.

"She was all excited; saying that if your dad married me that you and she could be sisters!"

"I have to admit, I never thought of that!" Sam laughed.

"Kids, they see things with such simplicity sometimes," Janet smiled then sighed wishing the answer to the cure was as simple.

"So…do I get to be the maid of honor?" Sam joked.

"Sam…I love him but it's too soon to plan a wedding. There's still so much Jacob and I have to work out. He doesn't even live on the same planet as me!"

"True, but I know my father…he'll find away!"

"Sam! You're as bad as your father!"

"That's not the first time I've heard that before! Besides, I was talking to Mark about you and dad, and the two of us were arguing over having a baby brother or sister. I want a baby sister and he wants a baby brother!"

"Oh…Sam, don't scare me like that! I'm not ready to have kids…I'm a doctor, I know **exactly** what a woman's body goes through…I don't know if I could handle that!"

The two giggled like schoolgirls. Then hugged each other.

"I'll go check on Jacob, I could use the motivation," Janet smiled.

Janet, feeling much better after a chat with Sam, strolled casually through the tunnels towards Jacob room. She purposely had the lab set up on this level, just so she could get the souped up version of the serum to him as soon as possible. Only she had no serum yet to give. Janet couldn't understand what she was doing wrong. She really needed to see Jacob just to get some ideas from Selmak.

"Doctor?"

"General Hammond…I'm sorry, I didn't see you," she said turning around.

"Is the serum ready?" he asked.

"No, Sir. I was thinking, maybe Selmak might have some ideas. After all, who would know more about naquadah in the blood stream than a symbiote?"

Hammond frowned. He was troubled, she recognized that frown.

"Sir, what's wrong?"

"I'm not sure I can let you in there. Jacob was violent after you left. His been in werewolf form almost ever since."

"Colonel O'Neill said Jacob was howling for me but I dismissed him because he's been cracking too many mean jokes about Jacob lately," she said feeling a wave of sadness fill her because she did leave Jacob when she knew it was wrong.

"I've already reprimanded him. But after what Jacob did yesterday, I don't think Jack will be joking anymore."

"Sir…let me try to reach Jacob. Maybe I can bring back to his human form. I may be the only one who can," she said optimistically.

"Very well but stay near the door. I don't want to fill out paperwork about why I lost my chief medical officer," Hammond smiled warmly, then with an evil grin he added, "Besides, if I have to requisition another officer, it might be easier replacing Colonel O'Neill!"

Janet tried not to laugh uncontrollably. She failed. But was quick to regain her composure.

"Yes, Sir. I'll do my best to stay in one piece. And thank you, Sir," she smiled to him having no intention of following his orders.

A minute later, Janet stepped inside Jacob's room. The place was in shambles. The mattress look like it had exploded from the inside. The wood beams of the bed's base were splintered into thousands of tiny pieces. And Jacob was curled into a black ball in the far corner of the room.

"Jacob!" she called quietly to him, remaining by the door.

His head immediately popped up with his ears forward.

"Jacob, it's me…Janet," she smiled to him making one ear turn to the side.

Their eyes locked as he stood to his full towering height. Only after Jacob took a few steps, he stopped and dropped to all fours. His snout rose up high and sniffed the air. Then his head drooped down and he returned to his corner, whimpering.

Janet instantly felt guilty. He loved her deeply and a part of her felt as if she betrayed that love. The sorrow in his face was too overwhelming.

"I'm so sorry, Jacob," she wept moving towards him.

Jacob raised his head ever so slightly and a soft growl sounded when she was a couple of feet away. Janet immediately stopped then knelt down to his level, letting him know she was not a threat.

"Jacob, I'm sorry for leaving you…but I had to work on the serum, remember?"

His head lowered back down and he curled up tighter. A long sorrowful whine sounded.

"I told you to fight this thing dammit!" she snapped loudly making him jerk his head up. "Don't you fucking give up on me!"

It was hard to tell if she was getting through or not. He was merely staring at her blinking his eyes slowly. He even yawned.

"Dammit, Jacob, I love you…doesn't that mean anything to you?" she asked sitting on the floor.

Janet buried her face in her hands and wept. She didn't know what to do. She was physically and emotionally exhausted. And it came out in the flood of her tears. She remained that way for a few minutes until something cold and wet pressed against her neck.

Quickly wiping her tears, she saw it was Jacob. His cold, moist nose nuzzled against the side of her neck.

"Jacob! That tickles!" she protested.

Then he licked her neck.

"Ahh…Jacob that's disgusting!"

A high yip pierced her ear and she looked at him. He gently nuzzled her neck again. It finally dawned on her what he was asking.

"Yes, you gave me that mark," she smiled slowly reaching for his head. "Do you remember? We were in the infirmary. You kissed me for the first time."

His face still showed no acknowledgement of her words but he was allowing her to touch him. Janet smiled. His fur was extremely soft and surprisingly thick on his head. She started scratching him behind his ear, just to see if werewolves were anything like dogs. He liked it. Jacob even rolled over submitting to her.

"I wish I could find someway to reach you," she sighed rubbing his chin making him close his eyes. "You really are just a big puppy!"

Looking at him, she sighed. Her hand stopped moving as she stared at him. His snout quickly nuzzled her hand letting her know he wanted more petting. A soft growl of satisfaction sounded as she stroked his chest.

"At least you seem happy now," she smiled looking him lay all stretched out for her. "Jacob, do you have any decency? Really, you're making the guys around here jealous by prancing around naked. No wonder Jack's terrified of you. He won't even come near me anymore. And Sam said he's not coming anywhere near you until you're cured. Of course, General Hammond…"

* * *

He was lonely. His mate was gone. She didn't come when he called for her. And there would no other if she did not return. A wolf mates for life.

Some time had passed. He didn't know how much. It didn't matter, time was meaningless to him. But suddenly he her sweet perfume filled his nose and he quickly lifted his head. With his own eyes he could see her but she was different. Not sure, he got up and cautiously approached the woman who looked like his mate. Only she wasn't his mate. After a quick sniff of her scent, he knew she wasn't even his kind. And again, he was alone.

The woman didn't leave, even after he returned to his corned. She was talking to him but he didn't understand her words. Her language was much different than his. She even dared to come closer. So he gave her a warning making her stop. More words, in a harsh tone this time, came from her. Curious he looked at her. But still her words had no meaning.

She looked sad. That he recognized. And she was crying. He recognized that too. Quietly, he stretched out on his belly, reaching his nose towards her. Upon closer inspection of this woman, he saw she had a mark on her neck. Instinctively he pressed his nose against it. The action caused her to make a strange sound. He found it rather amusing so he licked her. More of that strange sound emanated from her.

Again she was talking. Her hand slowly reached out to him. She was no threat to him, of that he was certain. She wasn't even afraid of him. Her touch was gentle and pleasing. So pleasing, he wanted more. Rolling onto his back, in a defenseless position he allowed her to touch him.

More strange words came from her mouth. Her voice was soothing as he listened to her. He was completely relaxed in her presence and knew he could trust her. And his mind temporarily forgot about his loneliness.

"Jacob…Jack…Sam…Hammond…Selmak…."

Suddenly those strange words had meanings. They were names! People he knew! There was even a strange sound within his head. It was becoming to annoying to ignore and was suddenly vaguely familiar. He suddenly received a mental image of someone smacking him on his nose, calling him a bad doggie!

'JACOB!'

'Selmak?' he asked hesitantly.

'Finally! Snap out of it big boy! We have work to do!'

'Selmak…what's going on?'

'You've been stuck as a werewolf for a while. Janet's been cured.'

'"Janet!" he tried to say but in wolf form it came out as a strange yipping sound.

Clambering to his feet, Jacob looked around the room. It was a disaster. But there was Janet, standing near him. Her eyes were red and swollen indicating she had been crying. Jacob reached for her to comfort her but stopped when he saw his large black hand. Looking down, he saw he was still in werewolf form.

'Told you! Why don't you ever believe me?' Selmak commented.

'Ok! Ok! I'm sorry!' he said as he began to change back to his human self.

'One would think that after all this time you would listen to me!' she continued.

'Selmak, I said I was sorry,' he whined to her as the transformation was nearly complete.

'I mean…who takes care of you when you're hurt…**me**! Who defends you against the High Council, even after you screw things up by opening your mouth…**ME**! I would think that you would trust me by **NOW**!'

'**I'M SORRY…A THOUSAND TIMES I'M SORRY!'**

'Don't patronize me!'

Jacob mentally sighed and ignored her as she continued. They would be at it for hours. He had more important things to deal with.

"Janet!" he said taking a step towards her only to fall down.

'Klutz!'

"Take it easy Jacob, you've been a werewolf for quite a while, let you body readjust," Janet smiled as he shook his head at Selmak's comment.

"They cured you?" he asked as Janet helped him back to his feet. "How did you get infected?"

"That doesn't matter right now," she smiled standing in front of him. "What's important is that I'm fine and I've been working on a cure for you."

"Whoa…this feels weird," he said feeling his legs wobble a little. "What happened in here? I didn't hurt anyone did I?"

"No, you didn't. You had a temper tantrum when you discovered I was gone."

"All I can remember is that I was extremely happy. Then you were gone. I was…I was feeling lonely…I even called for you but…you didn't come."

"I'm sorry Jacob, I had to leave," she said reaching up to his face.

"I did ask you not to do that to me again," he sighed wrapping his arms around her, nuzzling her neck.

'Jacob…the serum…Janet needs my help, remember? Don't ignore me!'

"Selmak tells me you need her help," he smiled leaning back.

He saw a deep sadness in Janet's eyes. She dropped her head to avoid his gaze. He merely smiled as he gently held her chin, turning her face back to his.

"You know, the last time a doctor had that look, I was diagnosed with a terminal cancer and given about six months or less to live."

Her bottom lip trembled and she wept, "I'm sorry Jacob."

Jacob held onto her tight and gently massaged her back.

"Shh, you're trying too hard," he said confidently. "The answer will come."

His words only made her cry even more.

"Tell me," he spoke softly.

"I've tried everything I know! The venom in your blood just attacks any agent and neutralizes it making it ineffective. It's that damn naquadah in your blood!"

Jacob head dipped down and his eyes flashed.

"_Let me try, Dr. Fraiser._"

"Selmak, I don't think General Hammond will let either of you out of this room," Janet said wiping her tears.

"_True. However, there is no one on base more qualified than I to work on the serum_."

"I don't know if…"

"Janet, Selmak's right. No one knows about the naquadah more than she does. Don't forget, she is the oldest and wisest of all the Tok'ra!"

'You're patronizing me again!' Selmak quickly commented.

"I'll have to talk with General Hammond."

"Tell him, if Selmak's in charge of my body, there's less likely of the chance that I will change."

'Oh great…way to go! If you turn wolf Hammond's going to blame me! Thanks Jacob!'

Janet narrowed her eyes at him, obviously sniffing out the line of bullshit he was delivering. So he flashed her a mischievous smile.

"I'll tell him, but I don't think he'll believe it," she smiled back.

"We have to try…I still have to take you on that date. And I'm looking forward to meeting Cassie. Which reminds me, does she like flowers too?"

"Yes, but promise me you won't drool on them."

"I will keep the drool to a minimum."

"But, before I go. May I make a suggestion?"

"What?"

Janet pulled away and smiled, "I think you should put some clothes on or at least a towel. Unless you plan on parading around in your birthday suit."

"Oh Crap!" he said covering himself. "I've been…"

"The whole time," she smiled then broke into a hearty laugh.

'Selmak…why didn't you tell me?' he asked feeling his face turning bright red.

'What…or sorry…were you talking to me? How does it feel to be **IGNORED?**'

* * *

Gabriel was looking in the microscope. Janet was right. The naquadah had made the wolf's venom in Jacob's blood potent. It attacked all attempts every altered version of the serum that they've came up with so far. At least Jacob didn't pass this strain on to Dr. Fraiser. The sound of voices approaching made him look to the door. Immediately he went on the defensive seeing Jacob walk with Dr. Fraiser.

"Hold on there doctor! Shouldn't Jacob be locked up!"

"Gabriel, it's alright!" she smiled.

"_ I am Selmak. Jacob's symbiote_," Jacob said in a strange voice while extending his hand.

Gabriel reluctantly shook Jacob's hand.

"Does my voice make you uneasy? I can sound like Jacob if you like," Selmak smiled.

"No…I'm fine," he nodded finally relaxing.

"Where is Major Carter?" Janet asked Gabriel.

"She went to get something to eat."

"We'll let her eat. Selmak is going help," Janet smiled.

"That makes sense," Gabriel added. "I'm sure there's no one more qualified."

"_Yes, I am an expert on the naquadah_," Selmak arrogantly said. "_But since you are an expert on werewolves, I need to know everything you know_."

* * *

"_Before I begin, I must see the what this wolf's venom looks like_," Selmak requested taking a seat in front of the microscope.

While Janet quickly prepared a slide Selmak felt Jacob's body temperature increase slightly. Jacob was still sleeping; she thought it best to keep him that way for a long as possible. Even Jacob believed it was the only way to control the wolf inside.

"If you notice, the naquadah has fused with the venom," Janet said placing the slide under the microscope.

"_Yes…I see,_" Selmak sighed magnifying the lens to get an even closer look.

"Notice how some appear dormant," Janet said.

"_They're part of the transformation process_?"

Janet shrugs her shoulders.

"Yes," Gabriel answered. "As a werewolf, all the venom cells would have to be animated."

"_They would have to be. The blood volume would have to increase in order for the muscles and bones to take their new form_," Selmak said sensing Jacob was beginning to awake and quickly put him back to sleep.

"I never thought of it that way before but then, I'm not a doctor," Gabriel smiled. "I can only recognize the cell under a microscope."

"It makes sense," Janet said. "As the muscles grow they would require more blood to function properly."

"_The heart rate increases to help supply the increased volume of blood_…"

Jacob suddenly tried to force his way to the forefront. It was a powerful mental push but she was able to restrain him. For a moment she thought she even heard him growling at her.

"Selmak?" Janet's voice asked.

Opening her host's eyes, she saw the doctor and Gabriel with worried looks on their faces.

"_I'm fine_," Selmak gritted.

"You were just growling," Janet said.

"_It was Jacob…he's trying to take control of his body_," Selmak said adjusting the chemical levels again. ""_There, he should sleep for a little while._"

"Today is the full moon," Gabriel said. "The wolf is probably in complete control of him."

"_Not entirely_," Selmak smiled. "_There is a part that is still Jacob. Please, we must work quickly. Show me what the serum does when injected into Jacob's blood._"

Selmak looked into the lens as Dr. Fraiser placed a drop on Jacob's blood. She watched the naquadah enhanced venom cells and regular naquadah cells completely engulf the serum like it was candy. Selmak knew, in order for the serum to work the absorption should be reversed. Only, the naquadah and naquadah enhanced venom are doing their job by eliminating any new foreign agents in the blood stream.

"_I need to see how the venom infects naquadah in the blood_," Selmak said. "_I believe Major Carter still has naquadah in her system, I require some of her blood._"

"I'll page her," Janet smiled heading across the room to the phone.

'Selmak, this is boring! Why don't we sneak out and smell the fresh air? We haven't been outside in days!'

Selmak jumped slightly. She had not been expecting Jacob to wake up so soon.

'Jacob…please, be quiet!' Selmak chastised him.

'Please, I want to go outside! The suns out! I haven't seen the sun in days! The sky must be clear and blue…come on…please! I'll sing my favorite song if you don't let me loose!'

Selmak attempted to adjust Jacob's chemical levels again. Only it wasn't working, he had already built up resilience to what she did. Or he was just being stubborn! And instead of going to sleep, he was singing…at the top of his voice in their minds!

'OFF WE GO INTO THE WILD BLUE YONDER,

CLIMING HIGH INTO THE SUN;

HERE THEY COME ZOOMING TO MEET OUT THUNDER,

AT 'EM BOYS, GIVE 'ER THE GUN! (GIVE 'ER THE GUN NOW!)

DOWN WE DIVE, SPOUTING OUR FLAMING FROM UNDER,

OFF WITH ONE HELLUVA **RRROARRR**!

WE LIVE IN FAME GO DOWN IN FLAME. HEY!

NOTHING'LL STOP THE US AIR FORCE!'

Selmak sighed shaking her head. There was no way she was going to be able to think with him in there singing, over and over. Normally, she didn't mind hearing him sing he actually had a wonderful singing voice. Only, not now! And when Major Carter finally arrived, Jacob was starting the song over again. Only louder!

'Jacob, I can't think!' she snapped at him.

'**OFF WE GO INTO THE WILD BLUE YON…**'

"**_JACOB SHUT UP!!_" **Selmak bellowed out loud instantly silencing him and making everyone in the room look at her.

"I guess dad's being a pain in the ass," Sam smiled.

On queue, Jacob started whistling the song.

"_Dr. Fraiser…sedate him! Now!_"

'Selmak no!' Jacob quickly pleaded.

"_Doctor…I can't think!_"

"Janet don't do it!" Jacob shouted managing to come to the foreground but only for a moment.

"**_DOCTOR…PLEASE_**," Selmak pleaded.

* * *

Jacob's face instantly relaxed after Janet administered the sedative, but not by much. His eyes flashed when they opened.

"_More…give him more…_" Selmak said in desperation.

"Selmak…I…"

"_Please, if I have to hear him sing, Off We Go Into the Wild Blue Yonder…_**_again_**_, I'll go insane_!" Selmak said, eyes bugging out while grabbing Janet by her arms. "_Do not worry, Doctor, I will regulate his heart and keep his airways open…just…give him more…_**_PLEASE_**"

Reluctantly, Janet injected another heavy sedative into Jacob's arm.

His body finally relaxed completely with long sigh of relief.

"_Thank you doctor, he's finally asleep again_."

"I can't give him another sedative. That was the fourth during the last hour!"

"_Dr. Fraiser, I of all people know how much Jacob means to you. And how much you mean to him. I would never allow any harm to come to him. I promise_."

"And the wolf inside?" she asked with a devilish smile.

"_Struggling to break free. Which is why you are the only one in the room. If Jacob manages to take control and go through with the transformation, you are his only link to humanity._"

Janet smiled and then sighed, "But we haven't learned much, only that the naquadah and wolf's venom are attracted to each other in the blood stream."

"_Essentially, they are the same. Both heal injuries and fight disease. It makes sense that the naquadah would fuse with it_."

"But then, the only way to cure Jacob is to rid his body of the naquadah and that's not going to happen."

"_Then we must find a way to either separate the venom from the naquadah, or…_"

"Is that even possible?" Janet interrupted.

"_I don't know_. _When I first blended with Jacob I was shocked to find our damaged his body was. The radiation therapy damaged many of his organs, his bones, basically his entire immune system. I was surprised the man was even alive. I'm sorry Dr. Fraiser but some of Earth's medical practices seem rather barbaric to me. Jacob's immune system was practically nonexistent!_"

"But I thought the symbiote becomes the host's immune system."

"_No, we only make it better. A symbiote usually blocks any infections before the host's immune system detects it. In Jacob's case, I had to rebuild his immune system. I had to release an abnormally large amount of naquadah into various parts of his organs…including his bone marrow_."

"Lymphocytes, both B and T cells, are first developed in the bone marrow. They're the basis for fighting infections in the body. The B cells develop in the marrow when a disease is introduced into the blood stream. Their development is based on each different disease that injects the human body. T cells form in the marrow but develop in the Thymus and basically float around killing any dormant diseases in the body."

"_Correct. Jacob's are different. His B and T cells develop differently than yours. Once released into the blood stream they are already fortified with naquadah. Combined with my abilities, the B cells are able to develop more quickly in order to release the proper antibodies to fight infections. I learned this when Jacob got a case of the Goa'uld version of the flu. It is rare but we were both still recovering from a serious injury. Our bodies were able to eliminate the disease surprisingly quick_."

"So, Jacob has Super B and Super T cells!"

"_In a manner_," Selmak sighed shaking her head.

"Sorry," Janet smiled. "So…basically Jacob's entire immune system is enhanced with naquadah?"

"_Correct. Even if I were not a part of him anymore, he would live for an extended period of time, free of disease. The naquadah is a part of him, always_."

"So we're still back to square one, how do we separate the naquadah from the venom?"

"_That was one idea. The other option is to make a stronger serum. I have an idea, but we require Major Carter again. She is the only person whose DNA is compatible with Jacob's._"

"Are you thinking of a bone marrow transplant?"

"_Not exactly. My idea is much more radical than a simple injection of stem cells from the Major._"

* * *

Hammond didn't like the idea of letting Jacob out of his room but Selmak gave his guarantee. They had been working on a cure all afternoon and into the evening with no incidents. At least that was a good sign. Hammond was dreading that he would have to fill out more paperwork. Plus, there was a rather lengthy voice mail from the Pentagon that he was ignoring. They were demanding to know if he was having a sale on queen beds or if they were trying to start a Four Star Hotel for Aliens at the SGC.

Looking at his watch he saw it was past nine o'clock in the evening, less than three hours to midnight. Last report was that Selmak was close to altering the serum. Anxious to see if his friend was going to be cured, Hammond decided to head up to the lab.

Only as he left his office, the alarms sounded. The gate technician announced the two SG teams out were coming in with multiple injuries. So he immediately headed to the control room instead. Wolfman Jake would have to wait for now. But Hammond would make sure he saw his friend before midnight.

Just in case.

* * *

Alarms sounded, followed by General Hammond calling a medical team to the gate room. Despite the fact that Dr. Warner was in charge of the infirmary, her instinct to help was still strong. Plus, Selmak seemed confident the serum could be altered.

Janet reached to touch Jacob's shoulder. His body was hot to the touch, his jacket was drenched from sweating. The strain could be seen on his face as Selmak fought to restrain the wolfman in side. To Janet's surprise his head dipped.

"Go, Janet," Jacob smiled. "Selmak has everything under control. We'll be testing this version of the vaccine in a few minutes."

"I will watch over him Dr. Fraiser," Gabriel said coming into the room.

"You shouldn't be here," Jacob said sounding very annoyed.

"You shouldn't be alone," Janet counted with a warm smile.

After everything that's happened to Jacob in the last few days, Janet really didn't want to let him out of her sight. Midnight was less than three hours away. The strain **was** getting to be too much for Jacob and Selmak that was obvious. And Janet was the only one who could control Jacob, even in his werewolf state.

"Janet, go," Jacob insisted grabbing her hand tightly. "We have plenty of time."

"I will take good care of him Doctor," Gabriel smiled.

"Janet, if this works, I'll wait until you return so you can personally administer the treatment," he said with that devilish smile of his.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," she said kissing him on the cheek then whispered in his ear. "Selmak, take care of him for me?"

"_I will, I promise." _Selmak replied.

* * *

Major Carter was in the control room working on some diagnostics when the Gate was activated. She watched as two teams, SG units 11 and 14 arrived in a total chaos. Some hostile, but less technologically advanced, natives had attacked the two teams. Rather than kill any innocents the teams defended themselves as best they could until escaping through the gate.

As soon as Dr. Fraiser arrived, she took control of the situation in the Gate Room. Sam watched in admiration as Janet quickly moved from patient to patient, barking orders to her staff. The poor woman had little sleep the past few days leaving Sam to wonder how she could even function. But Janet seemed to thrive under such conditions. The woman was like the energizer bunny at times.

Suddenly alarms went off again. Most of the injured had left with Dr. Warner and the medical staff. Only Janet remained. Janet was tending to the last injured SG member. He was lying flat on his back. One of the SFs was following Janet's instructions by keeping the man's neck immobile, while she was inspecting a leg injury.

"Unscheduled incoming traveler!" the technician announced and the remain few SFs quickly readied their weapons.

"All our teams are home, right Sir?" Sam asked.

"Yes," Hammond sighed the grabbed the microphone. "Dr. Fraiser get out of there!"

"I can't, Sir!" she shouted. "This man has a possible neck fracture, I can't risk moving him without a backboard. It's already on its way!"

"Sir, it's alright," Sam said seeing the IDC numbers on the computer monitor. "It's Master Bra'tac's code, Sir."

"Open the iris!" Hammond ordered.

"Now what's going on?" Colonel O'Neill asked as he and Teal'c arrived.

"Master Bra'tac is arriving," Hammond answered turning to them.

Only it wasn't Master Bra'tac who emerged from the event horizon. Sam watched as half a dozen Jaffa and one woman appeared on the ramp. One of the Jaffa was holding a large orb, Sam immediately recognized as a Goa'uld bomb.

"Sir!" Sam shouted.

"Shit! That's not Bra'tac!" O'Neill exclaimed

"What?" Hammond said, turning back around.

"It is Themis and her Jaffa," Teal'c announced.

"She has a bomb, Sir," Sam added.

"Hold your fire people!" Hammond quickly ordered the small group of SFs that were in the Gate Room. "Major, seal the Gate Room."

"How did she get here?" O'Neill demanded.

"Look, in her hand…she has a GDO!" Sam observed.

"How the hell did she get a GDO?" O'Neill asked.

"Master Bra'tac would destroy his and die before giving up Earth to a Goa'uld," Teal'c insisted.

"It's Jacob's," Hammond sighed immediately rubbing his temples. "He took one when he set off on his rescue mission. Only he didn't bring it back. Both he and Selmak couldn't find it and assumed it had been destroyed."

"Well…with a GDO all Themis would need is an iris deactivation code," Sam said. "It could have been one of the rebel Jaffa that helped rescue us."

As if to confirm her theory, one last Jaffa emerged, he tossed the body of one of Bra'tac's rebel warriors onto the ramp. The body landing with a mighty smack before it slowly rolled down towards where Janet was still tending to her patient.

"One guess, why Themis is here…Sir," O'Neill said narrowing his eyes. "And she's looking a little pissed!"

As if on queue Themis thundered in her full Goa'uld voice, "**_Hand over the Tok'ra traitor and I will spare you all_**!"

Sam and the others watched as the Jaffa quickly disarmed the SFs. Them, along with Janet were all forced on their knees while Themis headed to the injured SG member.

"**_Bring him to me now! Or I will begin killing these hostages one by one, starting with this one_**!" Themis demanded. "**_If he is not here when they're all dead, I will destroy this facility and everyone within it_**!"

"Boy…Carter, your dad sure has a way with women, doesn't he?" Colonel O'Neill inserted.

Sam shot him an annoyed look, which he chose to ignore.

"General, Sir…she's not bluffing," Sam said seeing the pure hatred in Themis' eyes and secretly agreed with the Colonel's comment.

"I gathered," Hammond sighed. "Evacuate as many personnel as you can, but don't announce it over the speakers."

"Yes, sir," the technician said.

"Sir, what about my father?" she asked Hammond.

"Sir, I think we should give Themis what she wants," O'Neill said surprising everyone.

"Come again?" Hammond asked.

"General, I think it's time we let Jacob **off **his leash!" O'Neill said and he was serious.

* * *

"_It works_!" Selmak shouted unable to contain her excitement.

Jacob was instantly awakened and seized control of his body.

'It works Jacob! It works!' she shouted to him.

"We should administer the serum now!" Gabriel insisted.

"No!" Jacob growled. "I promised Janet!"

"Jacob, we have less than two hours…"

"I know…" Jacob literally growled grabbing hold of the table. "NO, NOT NOW!"

His whole body was trembling. Every fiber of his being wanted to change. Closing his eyes tight, Jacob and Selmak together fought to stay in control of his humanity. They were succeeding but it was a tremendous strain to both of them.

"Maybe you're right…" Jacob said breathlessly. "One injection must be made directly into the back of my neck. You must make sure the needle goes in deep enough."

"Why there?" Gabriel asked.

"Because the Selmak is infected too!" Jacob replied gritting his teeth.

"Is that why there are now two serums?"

"Yes, we needed naquadah that wasn't infected. Sam was more than happy to donate some of her blood for that. Selmak was able to separate the naquadah from her blood stream, then added a few protein hormones which enabled the naquadah to fuse with the serum on the cellular level…see take a look."

Jacob wiped the sweat from his brow with a trembling hand, before adjusting the settings on the microscope.

"That is the unaltered serum…now this…this is the naquadah enhanced serum for Selmak."

"Naquadah serum to counteract the naquadah venom! Brilliant idea!"

"_Thank you_," Selmak said modestly.

"Bloody hell!" Gabriel jumped. "I am so sorry…I'm just not used to your voice changing like that."

"_No need to apologize, I am not so easily offended_."

'BULLSHIT!' Jacob snapped to her.

'SHH!'

"So, what's been done to the serum for Jacob?"

"_I have made this serum specifically designed to cure Jacob…and Jacob only. Jacob's entire immune system contains naquadah _**_and_**_ the naquadah enhanced venom. As a result, his immune system is a naquadah enhanced venom combined with his own DNA. From my understanding this does not normally happen when a normal human is infected with wolf venom._"

"Is that why he's able to heal so quickly?"

"_Yes. And the resulting strain of venom is resilient to the naquadah enhanced serum_."

"Which is where Samantha came in again!"

"_Right, I needed genetically compatible cells from her bone marrow, specifically B and T cells, the basic cells of the human immune system_."

"Much like a bone marrow transplant used to jump start a persons immune systems that's failed. The donor must be a genetic match in order for the cells not to be rejected by their new body."

"_Only, I had to combine these cells with the naquadah enhanced serum. Once in Jacob's blood stream these new cells will quickly reproduce and kill the naquadah enhanced venom._"

"So, where does the second injection go?"

"It needs to be injected directly into a major artery…both injections must be done at the same time," Jacob replied moving around the table and grabbing two syringes.

"What if we accidentally mix up the syringes? I mean, I can't even tell the two serums apart!"

"Don't worry," Jacob smiled wiping the sweat from his brow. "Selmak's dose is less than half of what mine will be. The symbiote is only about two and a half feet long."

'Hey! I'm three feet!'

'Sorry Sel…But to be fair, I've never actually seen you!'

Jacob quickly filled one syringe only half way then filling the second to its maximum capacity. While at the same time he had to calm Selmak down. He never knew she would get so upset about how long she was. He had to admit, he never thought about it.

'OW! What the hell was that for?' he asked her when he felt a stinging sensation at the back of his neck.

'Never thought about it? Never!'

'Sorry Sel…I…I just always loved you for you. Your size never mattered to me,' he said to her with great earnest.

Instantly the stinging sensation faded and was replaced with that familiar warm and fuzzy feeling when Selmak was happy.

'That was very sweet of you Jacob,' she sniffled. 'We had better hurry with the injections.'

'Right!'

"Gabriel, you have to inject while I'll take care of myself," Jacob said as his hand quivered when giving Gabriel the half-filled syringe.

Then he quickly took of his fatigue jacket, it was drenched with his own sweat. He was nearly overcome by the urge to just rip his shirt off and transform. Only his thoughts for Janet were helping him to prevent the transformation, along with Selmak's help. He had no idea how powerful his love for her could be.

"You can do this Gabriel…we both must…for my family's sake…and for Janet's," Jacob said sticking the needle into his vein. "Not to mention George's sake…the poor guy. I have a pretty good idea of the mountains of paperwork that he's had to go through! I **owe** him."

"How will I know if I hit the mark?"

"**I'll** know!"

Jacob felt the needle slowly penetrate the back of his neck.

"Just jab it in there!" he snapped.

'OW! THAT FUCKING HURT…JACOB!'

"Did I hit the mark?" Gabriel asked.

"Oh, yeah! Ok…on the count of three…one…two…"

"General Carter!" Teal'c's voice called startling Gabriel into jerking the needle in Jacob's neck.

'OW! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TRYING TO DO TO ME?' Selmak shouted angrily. 'PLAYING PIN THE TAIL ON THE SYMBIOTE? NEWS FLASH JACOB, I ALREADY HAVE A TAIL!!'

'Calm down lady,' Jacob told her calmly.

"You must not inject the serum yet!" Teal'c pleaded earnestly.

"What is it? What's happened?" Jacob asked feeling the sweat sting his eyes.

"Your presence is required in the control room," Teal'c informed him. "Themis is here."

"What?" he asked while he quickly pulled out the needle.

"She has a bomb. If you are not handed over, she will destroy this facility," Teal'c answered.

Jacob quickly signaled Gabriel to pull the syringe from his neck and felt Selmak wiggling around at the back of his neck.

'Better?' he asked her quickly.

'Grrrrr!'

'You turning wolf on me Selmak?'

'Pay attention Jacob! Teal'c's hiding something!'

"What else Teal'c? What are you not tell me?" Jacob asked.

"There are hostages involved…Dr. Fraiser is one of them."

"We'll have to hold off on the injections," Jacob told Gabriel handing him the syringe, then quickly bolted from the lab.

'Yeah, next time I get to jab **YOU**!' Selmak barked. 'RIGHT IN YOUR ASS!'

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Sir?" Major Carter nervously asked.

"Carter, with your dad's abilities he can easily take care of them. Especially once he sees Janet's in there." Jack mentioned.

"How is she? Is she alright?" Jacob's voice sounded as leapt up the stairs into the control room.

Jack almost turned and ran, instinctively. Even though Jacob was in his human form, Jack could see the wild look in his eyes. The man was ready to transform. His black T-shirt clung tightly to him and his green fatigue pants were drenched with sweat, an indication Jacob, Selmak or perhaps both, were fighting the animal inside.

"Janet!" Jacob gasped seeing her in the Gate Room.

She and the other hostages were now in a line at the base of the ramp, on display for everyone in the control room. Themis stood partway up the ramp with an evil grin on her face with the bomb directly behind her, in front of the Gate. Her Jaffa stood in front of the hostages with their weapons ready to shoot at the command of their lady.

"Whoa, Jacob! Hold on!" Jack insisted grabbing the man when he tried to leave. "Themis has already killed one of our people…"

He could feel Jacob's body was hot, no wonder he was sweating. And his body was shaking. Suddenly Jacob shoved Jack away and dropped to his knees. A guttural growl escaped Jacob but he did not transform. Instead, his neck veins extended and his jaw clenched as he slowly got back to his feet.

"Sorry…"

"Just hear us out," Jack insisted, trying to keep his distance while trying to make it look like he wasn't keeping his distance.

"Jacob, can you take care of Themis and her Jaffa before she detonates the bomb?" Hammond asked.

"Themis would be able to activate the bomb from the hand device," Jacob said breathlessly. "If I take her out first…it's possible."

"Why is she using her Goa'uld tone now?" Carter asked.

"She always does when she's judge, jury and executioner," Jacob answered.

"Today, she's…an executioner?" Jack asked.

"She wants to kill me, yes," Jacob nodded.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn!" Carter mumbled.

"Yeah, really Jacob! Should we be expecting any more of your old girlfriends paying us a visit?" Jack asked instantly seeing General Hammond rolling his eyes.

Jacob growled, grabbing Jack by his jacket.

"I just wanted to know so I could tell them that you're off the open market!" Jack quickly added. "Do you want Janet to tell Themis?"

"Dad! Janet…!" Carter said putting a hand on her dad's chest while pointing towards the Gate Room.

"I'll deal with you later!" Jacob smiled wickedly with his eyes narrowed directly on Jack. "And I promise, you won't be smiling after Selmak and I are done with you."

"Jacob!" a familiar but annoying voice called as Jacob finally let go of Jack's jacket.

"Daniel, Gabriel shouldn't be here!" Jack snapped seeing the two men arrive.

"The serum," Daniel said holding up two syringes filled with a glowing purplish substance. "It's ready for Jacob when he's done!"

"Teal'c did you get them?" Jack asked.

"Yes," he replied handing the Colonel a zat gun.

"Our plan is to let Jacob loose in there. Teal'c and I…"

"And me," Gabriel added showing that he had a zat gun too.

"Sorry, Jack," Daniel said shrugging his shoulders. "Gabriel has the most experience in shooting a werewolf, I thought he could help. Teal'c told us the plan!"

"Alright! With the three of us, one of us is bound to zat wolfman Jake here. Then, we administer the serum and we're all home by midnight!" Jack explained watching Jacob taking his combat boots off. "Why does it always have to be midnight? And why are you taking your boots off?"

"They get in the way when I transform," Jacob said straightening up.

Jack resisted the urge to ask if Jacob's feet smelled, instead asked, "So, are we clear on the plan?"

"Sounds like a crazy idea, Sir," Sam smiled.

"Let's just do it!" Jacob snapped then leapt down the flight stairs.

Jack was surprised at how fast and how nimble Jacob moved in his human form. The guy hopped down all ten steps like it was nothing.

"Go people!" Hammond ordered.

Jack ran, followed by Teal'c, and Gabriel. They reached the door where Jacob was anxiously waiting for them.

"What took you so long?" Jacob snapped

Jack held the key card up to the device but paused and turned to Jacob.

"Jacob, be honest, did you ever like me? Or were you just pretending?" Jack asked.

Jacob growled taking a step towards Jack raising a hand as if to grab Jack by the neck. Reminded of the other night, Jack quickly swiped the card, instantly opening the door to the Gate Room. Jacob's hand dropped and he immediately charged in.

"O'Neill, should we not close the door?" Teal'c asked quietly as they remained hidden from those in the Gate Room.

"I'm hoping Jacob can negotiate the hostages release before he turns wolf on Themis," Jack whispered back before taking a peek.

* * *

Janet hated losing a patient. It always hurt her deeply. But for her patient to be killed while lying helplessly on the floor was something that just really pissed her off. The young man would have been fine. Only he wasn't given the chance.

Then, the moment Janet saw Jacob come striding into the Gate Room her heart instantly sank. She knew he hadn't taken the serum yet. His eyes had that wild look about them. He was sweating profusely. Plus, he was barefoot which meant he was going to allow his transformation to happen.

'Great…I wonder whose brilliant idea this was,' she thought to herself glancing towards the open door. 'Jack, you idiot! I should have known! I should have kicked you in the head instead of your balls!'

"Themis, let the hostages go," Jacob said as two Jaffa grabbed hold of him. "You have what you want. Let them go!"

"_You are in no position to make demands_!" Themis thundered, heading down the ramp. "_Make him suffer_!"

There was nothing Janet could do. She watched helplessly as Jacob was beaten. Only, she couldn't understand why he wasn't changing as they punched and kicked him repeatedly. For ten agonizing minutes she watched until Jacob lay in a bruised and bloodied heap on the ground. She didn't even realize that she was crying.

"Let the hostages go!" his voice growled as two Jaffa jerked him onto his feet.

Themis didn't reply. She slowly walked towards Jacob. By the time Janet saw the blade it was already too late.

"Jacob!" she called out just as Themis rammed the blade deep into Jacob's stomach.

Janet furiously blinked back her tears as she watched the blade twist slowly. Jacob started coughing up dark blood. Themis grew excited at seeing her victim suffer. She yanked the blade out and stabbed Jacob repeatedly.

"Stop it!" Janet cried out stopping Themis.

"_You, have feelings for him_?" Themis asked looking directly at Janet.

"Don't you touch her!" Jacob growled in his human voice.

"_Ahhh, I understand now_," Themis seethed then backhand Jacob so hard the Jaffa dropped him. "_Get him on his feet! I want him to suffer…by watching me kill her…very slowly_!"

"Don't you **TOUCH HER**!" Jacob growled breaking free from his captures.

Janet watched as Themis quickly used the hand device on Jacob sending him crashing hard against the concrete wall. He lay motionless on the ground. She couldn't see his face or even if he was breathing because Themis was now directly in front of her.

"_Yes, I can see you love him_," Themis mumbled roughly wiping some of Janet's tears.

Without warning Janet was smacked hard across the face, sending her to the floor. In her daze she saw Jacob slowly getting to his feet. Their eyes locked and he mouthed the words 'I'm sorry'. She knew why he apologized even before he ripped his shirt off. There was no going back now as he quickly transformed; there would be no way for him to return to his human form unless he was injected with the serum. Janet wept not knowing if the serum was ready or not. She was afraid she was going to lose him.

* * *

The moment Themis acknowledge Janet, Jack knew the Goa'uld was a goner. Although, he did have his doubts while Jacob laid motionless on the floor. Jack was about to charge in when Jacob slowly got to his feet.

"This is it," Jack whispered to Teal'c and Gabriel as Jacob dropped his shirt on the floor. "Hopefully, Jacob does his job so we can do ours."

"And if he does not?" Teal'c asked.

"We go to plan b," Jack replied seeing that Jacob's wounds were completely healed.

Themis and her Jaffa all turned when Jacob's body began to take on its new shape. The sound of his pants ripping was hard not to notice. They stood mouths gapping, completely forgetting about their hostages. Jack quickly signaled them to the hell out of there. They did, hurrying passed him. Only problem was Dr. Fraiser was still in the room.

But all Jack's worries were for nothing. Jacob, now in full werewolf form, was stood on all fours directly over the doctor. His hair was raised high. His muscles were tensed. His lips were curled exposing all of his teeth. And his growl was deep and menacing.

Jack quickly slid his security card, closing the door. He didn't want a repeat of the other night. It gave him nightmares. He wasn't sure if he was ever going to trust a dog again!

"O'Neill, we have no plan b," Teal'c said.

"I'm working on it!" Jack said while he secretly hoped that plan b didn't involve him getting ripped to shreds because that's what Hammond would have suggested if Jack mentioned the possibility of a plan b.

* * *

The nice woman who had caressed him was hurt. He could smell her blood in the air. He could smell her fear. But he knew the fear wasn't directed towards him. And he knew he must protect her, with his life if necessary.

In the blink of an eye he was crouched over her, her body curling up beneath him. He remained as low as he could, ready to pounce on anyone who dared get close to him. His growl reverberated in his chest. The fear of those before him filled his nose and it excited him. He ripped a powerful roar that literally scared the piss out of one of them, he could smell it in the air. And he knew exactly which one.

It was one of the men nearest him. Only something caught his eye before he jumped on his intended victim. A shiny device on the threatening female. She was strong and quickly got over her fear of him. But the thing on her hand was more threatening. He didn't know how or why; he just knew it. And he went for it.

* * *

Janet immediately curled up beneath him, making herself as small as possible. When he crouched low she could feel the fur on his chest brushing against her. She wanted to cry. Something she seemed to be doing a lot lately. Only this time, this could be the last time she would be this close to Jacob. And she was afraid for him. From his posture, she knew he would do anything to protect her.

'At least you managed to keep your pants on this time,' she thought to herself seeing the torn green clothing, still belted snuggly around his waist.

The floor vibrated beneath her when Jacob roared. Janet didn't dare move. She didn't want to get in Jacob's way when he finally decided to attack. Only because she had no idea what he was going to do or how he was going to do it. She had never seen a werewolf in a fight.

From where she was lying, Janet could see that Themis was over her shock. Her arm raised and the hand device began to glow. Only she was too late to react, Jacob lunged for Themis. In one strong, swift move Jacob's powerful jaws latched onto Themis' forearm. And with a quick twist of his head the arm was severed then went flying across the room.

Themis looked too stunned to even scream in agony and just stood there as thick blood spurted all over her white gown. She was powerless now. The hand device was gone, along with the part of her arm it was attached too. Even the Jaffa were stunned as Jacob roared triumphantly. Janet could see blood dripping from his fangs and wondering what the Jaffa might have been thinking of their God now that they could see that she bled just like they did.

Jacob moved to engage the Jaffa and that's when Janet made her move toward the door. Only one of the Jaffa went after her, taking her down hard. Pain shot through her shoulder from the landing and she could feel the sting of a scrape on her face. Still dazed, she fought him off will all her might. But he was much stronger than her and had the advantage. A blade was raised high in the air and was coming down fast.

Out of no where, a huge black hand with long claws grabbed the Jaffa's arm. Jacob was suddenly there and he yanked the Jaffa off of her. Then he savagely ripped the warrior's throat out with his razor sharp claws before tossing the corpse towards the other Jaffa. There, the body landed like a bowling ball knocking down the pins.

Jacob roared angrily towards them then turned his attention to her. His nose gently touched her bruised cheek and he whimpered softly, as if he was asking if she was ok. She must have been unresponsive because he licked her face. But before Janet could respond, Jacob yelped so high and loud it pierced her ears.

He quickly whirled around, standing to his full towering height over another warrior. Janet saw Jacob reach around and ripped the blade out of his lower back. She slowly crawled towards the door as Jacob ripped the man to pieces.

A staff weapon fired. The blast hit the floor near her making her cry out in surprise. Again, Jacob was there purposely keeping his body between her and the Jaffa. Another blast and he yelped taking the full brunt. But held his ground. A thundering roar emanated from him as he challenged them to take him down.

There were five Jaffa left. Well only four if you didn't count the one Jaffa that pissed himself and was now cowering in a corner. And Themis appeared out of action lying in a pool of her own blood.

Janet knew she had to get out of there. Four against one would have been fair if the Jaffa didn't have their staff weapons. Plus, her presence was going to get Jacob killed because he would protect her to the death. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if that happened.

If she could move more quickly Jacob wouldn't have to endure so much pain. For almost every blast Janet heard him yelp. She could even smell a rather sickening stench of barbecued dog hair. Only her progress was hindered by the fact that she felt too dizzy to stand. So she crawled as quickly as possible.

Two blasts then an extremely loud emphatic yelp, followed by a frustrated roar.

Finally she reached the severed arm. It was conveniently near the door, which unexpectedly opened. Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c quickly pulled her to safety.

Turning around Janet saw that Jacob was heading towards her. Parts of him were burned badly.

"Now!" the Colonel shouted and the door quickly shut.

A loud thud sounded. Quickly followed by scratching noises with growling and whining. More staff weapons fired. Only Jacob didn't yelp. A long deep howl resonated.

"Jacob has a one track mind!" O'Neill smiled helping her to her feet.

"It's going to get him killed," she said wiping her tears.

"Teal'c get her to the infirmary," Jack said.

"No…I have to make sure he's alright!" she snapped yanking free from his grip.

Janet took a step then faltered using the wall for support. But she didn't stop.

"I guess Jacob's not the only one with one thing on his mind," Jack said as he and Teal'c helped support her.

* * *

"General, he can't take much more!" Sam said as she watched her father take another staff blast cutting off his howl.

"General, we have to help him!" Dr. Fraiser pleaded as she was hurried up the last few steps into the control room.

"Sir, she's right! Jacob's not doing so well," Daniel added.

"Is that…?" Janet started to ask Sam.

"The serum one for dad, one for Selmak," Sam smiled grabbing and holding up both syringes.

"Selmak got it to work," Gabriel smiled and Sam could instantly see how relieved Janet was.

Sam gently removed the severed arm from Janet's grip. The poor woman just lost it and was crying uncontrollably, so unlike Janet. She was always in control. But Sam, or the others, couldn't blame her. This past week as has been a strain on everyone.

"Uhh…what's Themis doing?" Daniel asked and they quickly turned to see her slowly dragging her body onto the ramp.

"We have the activation device," O'Neill said.

"Teal'c, can she activate the bomb without the hand device?" Hammond asked.

"It is possible," Teal'c answered.

"Nice of Jacob to leave that little fact out!" O'Neill complained as Janet suddenly grabbed the microphone.

"Jacob!"

His head suddenly popped up and he dodged a staff blast.

"Shit…he can hear me but he doesn't understand!" she snapped while Jacob looked up towards one of the speakers.

"I don't know…keep it up…he's looking pissed!" O'Neill observed.

Sam saw that her father was getting pissed. The Jaffa had finally become enough of a nuisance to him. With his injuries completely healed, he went on a rampage. It was Jaffa chaos in there!

"Sorry, General, I didn't realize Jacob would get so messy," Jack winced as a Goa'uld larva stuck to the window then slowly slid down leaving a bloodied streak.

"Don't worry, Colonel, I have complete confidence in your abilities to make the Gate Room look as good as new," Hammond informed O'Neill.

Sam and the others winced when a severed head wearing a stunned look smacked hard against the Control Room window.

Hammond quickly added, "I suspect you will need a great deal of bleach, Colonel!"

"Jacob is rather efficient!" Gabriel said excitedly. "Most werewolves tear and claw recklessly!"

"Must be that killer instinct of his," Jack said tugging at his shirt collar while looking directly at Hammond's scowl, which was getting deeper and redder by the second.

"I expect you to scrub on your hands…and knees, Colonel," Hammond instructed.

"Looks like he's done," Sam announced.

"What…no more severed heads being flung with reckless abandonment?" Jack quipped as they all leaned closer to the window to assess the damaged.

Suddenly a symbiote slapped against the window making them jump back. Sam waited for it to slide down, only it didn't.

"You better add gallons of Windex to your cleaning supply list, Colonel!" Hammond frowned.

"It looks like Themis is moving again…she's crawling!" Daniel said.

"Sir, we can handle her," O'Neill said.

"No, as tempting as it sounds to send you in there while Jacob is in full form, I can't allow it. Besides, you are **not** getting out of cleaning the Gate Room that easily. Doctor, try to reach him, again," Hammond said.

Sam turned away so the Colonel wouldn't see the smirk on her face. His mouth dropped when Hammond, of all people, suggested that Jacob rip the Colonel to pieces.

* * *

He was mad and frustrated. He could hear her but he couldn't see or smell her. But it did make him feel somewhat better ripping his attackers' throats out. Along with a few other bits and pieces of entrails that were sent flying through the air. He was actually having fun!

Then he heard her voice again. Immediately he began sorting the different smells. Only he still couldn't find her scent. There was a sound that caught his attention. When he turned, he saw her. She was with a few other people but that didn't matter. He only had eyes for her.

He hurried towards her, looking for a way up to her.

* * *

"You know…if Jacob had a tail, it would be wagging," Jack smiled as he watched Jacob turning circles with his head held high below the window. "You do know what it means if his head was down and he was turning circles, don't you?"

Jacob stood on his two legs again raising his snout high to sniff the air, and then dropped to all fours, keeping his head held high, quickly pacing back and forth. The guy was very happy to see Janet but Jack had a feeling Jacob would soon be pissed if he couldn't be with her soon.

"For crying out loud, Jacob!" Jack shouted into the microphone. "Themis is over there! Go get her! Go fetch! Go on boy! There's a nice juicy steak in it for you!"

Jack even whistled a couple of times making Jacob twist his ears around or flatten them out. It was just too much fun teasing Jacob and making him cock his head to the side in confusion. Then, Jack heard Hammond clearing his throat, warning him that the fun was over. They were all just staring at him like he was nuts.

"What?"

"To hell with this!" Janet suddenly snapped, trying to grab the zat out of his hand. "Sam, I'm going to need a large sedative, get it here a-sap! I'm going to get a good night sleep tonight, even if I have to kill someone!"

"I hope you don't mean me!" Jack said holding onto the weapon tightly.

"Colonel!" Hammond barked.

"Sir?"

"Just…let her have the weapon! Before I shoot you myself!" Hammond barked.

* * *

There she was! A little agitated but there she was. He hurried to her and nuzzled her neck. She made that strange sound again while gently pushing his snout away. There was something strange in her hand. He didn't like it. Especially when something shot out of it towards the blonde female. He quickly scurried away. There was another shot. Then the blonde female was dead.

He had been ignoring her because she had no been longer a threat to him.

Then the strange object was set down and left behind. This woman, he instinctively trusted approached him. He quickly met her, dropping on all fours. Her voice was soothing and he liked it when she scratched behind his ears.

* * *

"We might not need that sedative," Janet smiled stroking Jacob's chest while he lay on his back in a submissive position. "He's like a big puppy!"

"I don't know," Sam smiled sitting down. "Puppies don't like getting shots anymore than kids do!"

"You're right," Janet sighed. "Selmak, if you can hear me…we're giving Jacob a sedative…allow it to do its job!"

"I called for a stretcher too," Sam smiled handing Janet the syringe.

"Thanks Sam," Janet replied searching for the vein through Jacob's fur. "Ah…there it is."

"So…when are you two going on a date?"

"We have dinner reservations tomorrow, you're invited too," Janet smiled stroking Jacob's head as he was beginning to relax.

"I don't want to intrude."

"Cassie will be there, so you won't be intruding," Janet said hearing a soft snore from Jacob. "It worked. Good, let's hurry before he wakes up. I'll inject Selmak, you inject your father."

It took them a minute to get each syringe ready.

"On three…one…two…three!" Janet ordered then both slowly inject the serum into Selmak and Jacob.

First Jacob's ears retracted. Then his snout shortened and the black hairs began to recede on his face and his head. As the hairs over the rest of his body retracted his muscles and remaining bone structures slowly returned to normal. Until finally, he was completely human again.

Janet quickly checked his pulse. It was strong and steady. He was even still snoring.

"How do we know if he's cured?" Sam asked.

"Why don't we ask Jack?" Janet giggled.

* * *

Jacob opened his eyes to see those familiar infirmary lights above his head…**again**. Then he heard the familiar voice of his doctor. Turning his head he saw Janet on the far side of the room talking with the nurse.

Janet looked well rested. More than that, she looked beautiful wearing civilian clothes. She looked delicious, even! She turned feeling his stare and smiled.

'Selmak…we are cured right?'

'Yes, Jacob,' she sighed. 'You're hungry because you haven't eaten in nearly twenty-four hours, during which you expended a lot of energy as a werewolf.'

'Oh…I wasn't thinking about…'

'I know exactly what you were thinking!'

'Sel…what's wrong? You're more cranky than usual this morning.'

'Well, excuse me! You would be too if you had to cram your entire **three**-foot body in a head as small as yours!'

'I'm sorry Sel. But we didn't have a choice. We had to be cured. Otherwise you would have had to kill us both. I know you've wanted to kill me from time to time…but I know better…you love me and you would miss me.'

His symbiote was quiet. He missed being a werewolf too. But he gladly gave it up for something better.

'To make you feel better, you can choose what we do first today. We can eat some pancakes…"

He listened for an affirmative reply only there wasn't one.

'Want to get some hot chocolate with marshmallows?'

Still nothing from Selmak.

'Oh…I know what you would like!' he said to her, sitting up.

"Excuse, me…what does a guy have to do around here to get a little TLC from his doctor?"

"Oh, you finally decided to wake up," Janet smiled heading over to him.

Jacob smiled devilishly at her and noticed the nurse quickly heading out of the room.

"Whoa! Jacob back on the bed!"

"Janet, I'm fine! A little hungry but I'm fine!"

"Are you sure you're cured?"

"Yes…come her, let me devour you with my kisses," he cooed pulling her into his arms then nuzzling her neck.

"Jacob…" she giggled. "Jacob put me down!"

Jacob smiled and set her down.

"Jacob…I meant the floor not the bed."

Jacob ignored her and kissed her tenderly wrapping his arms around her.

"Jacob…we shouldn't be doing this here," she insisted.

He sighed in disappointment.

"Why don't we go to your quarters," she smiled stroking his face.

"Are you sure?" he asked excitedly.

"Technically, I'm not on duty. I was only here to see you."

"What…no physical before being discharged?"

"No, General Hammond wants you off the base as soon as you are physically able to walk."

"Where is George? I need to thank him!"

"He's on vacation. Colonel O'Neill's in charge."

"Oh shit…let's get the hell out of here before the place falls apart!" he said quickly picking her up of the bed. "It'll take me five minutes to get some clothes on!"

"I'll meet you at my car?"

"Sure!" he said quickly kissing her cheek.

In less than ten minutes, Janet was driving them off the base. Looking at the trees Jacob was reminded of the night he was running free as a werewolf. It had been so exhilarating. But looking down at Janet's fingers interlace in his, he gladly gave it up.

"By the way…how did you get infected?" he asked.

"I asked Gabriel that same question. He just shrugged his shoulders with a goofy grin on his face. Does Selmak possibly know?"

"She was as shocked as I was when I found out you were infected. But if she knew, I'm sure she would have told me."

'Right Selmak? You would tell me! We have no secrets!'

'Right Jacob!' she said but Jacob could swear she was giggling, he assumed it was because they were happy.


	10. Chapter Ten

Next Full Moon, One Month Later

Jacob stood outside in the snow with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his thick jacket. The doorbell rang inside Sam's house, momentarily distracting him from his thoughts. He knew it wasn't whom he was waiting for; otherwise he would have immediately gone inside. As if to confirm what he already knew, the sound of Colonel O'Neill's voice, along with Daniel's and Teal'c's could be heard.

Going in to greet them would be the polite thing to do. Only Jacob didn't feel like it. The moon was huge and so bright in the night sky. He was held captive by it. Although he and Selmak had been cured one month ago to the day, Jacob still had the yearning to run wild and free through the trees. That experience had been one of the most exhilarating of his life, second only to flying and the birth of his kids. As a werewolf, he was bigger and stronger. When his size and strength was combined with Selmak's ability to boost his adrenaline levels, Jacob had been able to run so fast that it was almost felt like he was flying.

He loved flying and that part of him missed being a werewolf. Selmak really missed it too because she loved having more room in his head to stretch out, not to mention having super healing abilities. Every so often, since they were cured, he would hear her grumbling about how cramped she was due to the lack of space. But like him, she too wouldn't trade their experiences since the last full moon. Neither wanted to give up a wonderful thing.

After Jacob and Selmak had been cured they were able to spend a few days with Janet and Cassie. Mainly it was to introduce him to Cassie and test how she felt about her mother possibly dating Jacob; if she wouldn't accept him there would either be no relationship or at best, a rather limited relationship with Janet. Jacob never wanted the girl to feel uncomfortable around him or about his relationship with her mother. It would have been hard, but if it had been necessary, he would have backed off to give the girl time to adjust to him being a part of her mother's life.

Only to Jacob's surprise, the girl accepted him. She even shocked the hell out of him by asking him what his symbiote's name was. Janet and Sam had completely forgotten to tell him that Cassie could sense Selmak's presence. Or so he thought. When Jacob saw the two women giggling, he realized they deliberately withheld that little detail about the girl. Selmak was absolutely overjoyed about the whole idea. In addition, Cassie seemed to be excited, almost eager, about him dating her mother. He was a little curious as to why, until he had accidentally heard Cassie telling Janet that she was thrilled about the possibility of becoming Sam's sister.

The idea didn't startle Jacob as much as he thought it should have. The very idea of getting married, for a second time never really crossed his mind since his wife, Allison, had died. Of course, he never believed he would ever be that deeply in love again…not ever. Only he was very much in love with Janet. The only problem was he lived on another world from her; taking the meaning of a long distance relationship to a whole new level.

So, when Jacob and Selmak had to return to the Tok'ra for a couple of weeks, it had been a blessing in disguise. It really forced Jacob to do a lot of thinking. So much, that Selmak had been in control the entire time they were in the Tok'ra tunnels, especially during the High Council meetings. The Council didn't really like to hear from Jacob too much anyway, they tolerated him only because of Selmak. His mouth had a bad habit of irritating the Council and Selmak was always more diplomatic.

By the time he and Selmak had returned to Earth, Jacob finally reached a decision. During the Thanksgiving weekend in San Diego he had enlisted the help of his son, Mark. Mark had been more than happy to help his father out. Their time together had given the two men the chance to talk with each other, as father and son. Something they really hadn't done since Allison died.

Jacob wanted to explain to Mark exactly what Janet meant to him and that he still loved Allison. Much to Jacob's relief, Mark had completely understood that his father's love for Janet was different than the love for his mother. And Mark had even pointed out the fact that the human heart had an enormous capacity to love and endure love.

With a long sigh, Jacob slowly pulled his hand out of his pocket and looked at the object that represented his love for Janet. A symbol of the commitment he was more than willing to take. A commitment he hoped Janet would share with him. The moonlight made it sparkle as it rested in the palm of his hand. He smiled.

'Jacob, I don't think I'll ever understand why the people on your planet place such a high value on such objects. You both have already spoken of you affections to each other. Why do you need the ring?'

'It's just an Earth custom. Its one way of showing how much I care for her.'

'Jacob…you've already showed her how much you care…**repeatedly**!'

'That's only **one** way of communicating you little nymph! The ring is a representation of the next step in the relationship!'

'Oh really, I thought it was just another way to get Janet to have more sex with you!'

'You're such a romantic Selmak,' he said sarcastically. 'Really, I wonder what your idea of foreplay is?'

'What's foreplay?' she asked giggling. 'Oh wait…I got it. That when you have two symbiotes and two hosts…fourplay!'

'Selmak!'

'Jacob, seriously, all I'm saying, is according to Tok'ra customs…or the call of the wild, Janet is already your mate. However, I do understand that this is important to you. Therefore it is important to me.'

'Thank you Selmak. That means a lot to me.'

'You're welcome. However there is one thing, I don't understand why you're so nervous about it.'

'Nervous? I am **not** nervous.'

'Jacob…'

"Dad!"

Jacob quickly closed his fingers around the ring and jammed his hand back into his pocket.

"Dad, are you coming back in? Janet and Cassie will be here soon," Sam spoke, coming to his side.

He glanced at her quickly, giving her an awkward smile, "Sure…in a little while."

"Dad, are you ok? You look nervous about something, and you've been acting kind of squirrelly since we got back from San Diego."

"Really? I look that nervous?" he asked nervously.

"Yes, you do," she smiled folding her arms across her chest.

'See! I told you!'

'Quiet Selmak!'

'For crying out loud…just show her Jacob! She has a right to know. Mark already knows, why not Samantha. It will make you feel better!'

'You're right…as always,' he sighed.

"Dad?"

"Sam, there's something I have to tell you," he said, and then cleared his throat before showing her the ring.

Sam gasped picking up the ring.

"Do you think she'll like it?" he asked eagerly awaiting her reply.

"Dad…it's beautiful, of course…she'll love it!" she smiled handing it back to him.

'Well, if Janet's response is anything like Samantha's you have nothing to worry about!'

'Selmak…quiet!'

"I guess the real question is, will she say yes?" he sighed holding the ring up with his fingers.

"Are you really that serious about Janet?"

'Why do think he's having sex with her…**repeatedly**!' Selmak commented.

Jacob smacked the back of his neck.

'Ow! That fucking hurt Jacob! You're so mean to me! I'm going to report you to the High Council!'

'Selmak quit your sniveling! I didn't hit you that hard. It hurt me more than anything, it's my skin that stings! Besides, the High Council is looking for any excuse to remove you from me…do you really want that?'

'No,' she said softly.

"Dad?"

"Sorry, I felt something annoying me on the back of my neck. To answer your question, yes. I am very serious about Janet," he smiled carefully placing the ring in his pants pocket.

"So, that's what Mark and you were doing the day after Thanksgiving," she smiled.

"Well…I needed help in picking out a ring. I asked Mark because…because the relationship between him and I had been extremely rocky ever since your mother died. I wanted the chance to explain to him how important Janet is to me. And to let him know I still love his mother and always will."

"I had always afraid to get too involved with a woman when you and your brother were kids. I thought that a new woman in my life would push you both even further away than you already were. But I never stopped loving your mother. In fact, it took me years before I actually went out on a date with a woman. Even then it was mostly for companionship, I was…lonely. But no relationship was ever as serious as the one I had with your mother…not until Janet."

"Dad, you don't have a thing to worry about. Janet will say yes," Sam said throwing her arms around him. "She and I had a long talk after you went back to the Tok'ra. I've never seen her so happy. Cassie too. They really enjoyed the time that you were able to spend with them."

"I hated having to leave them. I missed them both when I was away. Even when you and I were in San Diego."

"Really…dad…you missed them that much! I didn't notice," Sam said sarcastically. "You only talked to them both everyday, a couple of times a day, during the **entire** Thanksgiving weekend!"

Jacob smiled sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders.

"I would hate to see your cell phone bill," she added.

"I have rollover minutes. Since I'm not on Earth that often, they've added up!" he said making Sam laugh. "Besides, I'm a two star General, I can afford it."

Jacob smiled watching his daughter laugh even harder. She looked and sounded like her mother when she laughed. He sighed, gently taking her hand in his.

"Honestly Sam…are you ok with the idea of me marrying your best friend?"

"Dad, I'm fine. I'm happy for the two of you," she said, then asked with a smirk on her face, "I do have just one question?"

"Shoot!"

"When do Mark and I get a baby brother or sister?"

"Oh…God Sam…don't scare me like that!" he said clutching his chest.

"Oh, come on Jacob! We're all waiting for a little Jake junior!" Jack's voice sounded from the doorway.

"How long have you been standing there?" Jacob asked with his hand on his hips, feigning anger.

"Long enough. Come inside, I'm freezing my ass off! We brought pizza and movies! I'm sure Daniel and Teal'c would love to help you plan the wedding! Carter and I can work on baby names for you!"

"You know Jack, you're a nice guy," Jacob said making Jack smile, then he added, "when you keep your trap shut."

"So…I guess this means I won't be getting that Christmas Card?" Jack asked anxiously.

Jacob glared at him for a long moment, then smiled patting him on the shoulder.

"So you do like me!" Jack said excitedly.

"Yes, Jack…but just so you know…you lay one hand on my daughter, I swear you'll regret it. I may not be able to change into a werewolf anymore, but I can still growl and make you shit your pants whenever I want! And there is no way in hell I'm letting you name one of my kids!"

"For the record Jacob…I never shit my pants that day!"

"Maybe…but I'm sure you checked your briefs just to be sure," Jacob snorted heading into the house.

After a quick greeting between Daniel and Teal'c, Jacob headed into his bedroom. He picked up his small travel bag and double checked that he had everything required for the next few days. He didn't need much. He hadn't seen Janet in three weeks and planned on spending most of the next few days with her…in bed.

During those few days after he was cured, there had been little time for intimacies between him and Janet. He was rarely alone with her because of Cassie. But that was fine with Jacob. He enjoyed the three of them being together; it was kind of like a family. Only he wasn't comfortable enough to stay overnight, even after Janet insisted it was ok. He didn't wanted to put that kind of pressure on Cassie; it was on thing that her mother was seeing a man and quite another if he was living in the same house or sharing her mother's bedroom. There had been a few private moments of passionate kissing and affectionate groping at the door of his car. Each night, Jacob saw that Janet was a little frustrated when he had to leave for the evening. He could even swear Selmak was too but couldn't be certain.

So Jacob had planned an evening just for him and Janet, arranging for Cassie to spend the night at Sam's house. Only a call had come in, when the two of them barely sat down to dinner at the restaurant. The Tok'ra recalled Jacob, or more accurately Selmak, for an important matter. They had to leave dinner and cut their visit short. Again, Jacob could see Janet disappointed. He was too.

During the drive to the SGC Janet had remained extremely quiet. Jacob hadn't been sure if she was angry or not that he had to suddenly leave. He was even afraid to say anything to her, unsure of her response. Not until she had suddenly pulled the car into a secluded area, did he finally open his mouth to speak. Only her response had totally surprised him. The moment the car was shut off and they were in the dark, Jacob felt her hand undoing his pants and her lips pressing hard against his.

'Oh well, we had only been three hours late,' Jacob smiled at the thought.

'Yes, but you left it up to **me** to explain to the Council why we were late!' Selmak snapped.

'I'm sorry. I couldn't deny Janet. And the message said it was an important matter, not an urgent one. Which meant, there was time. **And**, I don't recall you complaining at the time! I believe your exact words were…'

'Shut up Jacob!'

The doorbell rang making Jacob's heart speed up for a few beats and he suddenly felt his stomach flutter. He was much more nervous than he first thought. But he was excited too. He really did just miss seeing both Janet and Cassie. Grabbing his bag, he took one last look in the mirror.

'You look so different without your scar,' Selmak told him. 'Am I in the wrong host?'

'Selmak!'

'Yes, I'm in the right host…same grouch I've come to know!'

Jacob sighed.

'Let me tell you, I don't miss having so much gray hair! At least that won't be coming back anytime soon!'

"Jacob! Your girlfriend's here!" Jack shouted so loud that the whole neighborhood could probably hear.

Jacob just chuckled and shook his head. Distracted from his nervousness for a brief moment.

'You better hurry Jacob, before Jack spills the beans about you asking Janet the big question! And **try** to relax…you're making me nervous.'

He took a deep breath and tried to relax as Selmak suggested. Only it didn't help. While his outward appearance seemed calm, on the inside he was a mess and Selmak wasn't helping. Normally, she would make a few chemical adjustments to calm him. But for some reason she chose not to help him…unless she was nervous too.

"Hi Jacob!" Cassie smiled hurrying to him the moment he arrived in the living room.

"Hey kid," he said dropping his bag and giving her big a hug. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine…mom really missed you!"

"Cassie!" Janet cried out.

"Well, I missed her too…and you," he smiled patting her head.

"Yeah, I missed you too!" she said quickly then ran off. "Cool pizza! Mom can I have some?"

"Yeah, come on mom! Let the kid have some pizza!" Jack scoffed who was acting like a big kid himself. "If fact, why don't you and Jake stay for pizza and movies. I got these movies for you Jacob…you'll love them."

"The Wolfman, American Werewolf in London…The Howling?" Sam read out loud while Jacob tried to suppress a smiled at the glare Janet was giving Jack for calling her 'mom'.

"I don't think those movies are appropriate for Cassie," Jacob warned in a concerned fatherly tone.

Sam smiled. "I have some that **are** appropriate. So you and Janet don't have anything to worry about."

"It's ok Jacob," Janet smiled slipping her hand into his. "I trust Sam."

"Yeah, but I'm her father. I know better!" he whispered in Janet's ear.

"I heard that dad," Sam grinned.

Janet's hand squeezed his hard and she gave him a look, which he completely understood. He nodded with a smile quickly kissing her cheek.

"Well, we should be going," he announced, picking his bag up.

"Where are you two love birds off to?" Jack asked.

"Jack, I don't think it's any of our business," Daniel protested.

"Just curious…where ever it is, I'm sure they'll be spending **many** hours…"

"Jack…" Jacob warned, nodding towards Cassie, and flashing his teeth for show as if he was going to growl.

"Reading poetry!" Jack quickly added. "People do that when they're in love."

"I thought they had **sex**!" Cassie said loudly before taking a bite of pizza.

"What?" Jacob questioned in total shock.

"I learned it in human development class!"

"Human what?" Jack and Jacob asked at the same time.

With that said, Janet quickly ushered Jacob out the door after they said their good-byes. The whole time he could hear Selmak laughing her little tail off in his head. Only he couldn't tell if she was laughing at what Cassie said or how Janet was pushing him around. All he knew was that Janet was suddenly kissing him before they even reached her car.

"What's wrong?" she asked after she finally released her hold on him.

"Nothing! I just can't believe what I just heard Cassie say!" he exclaimed scratching the back of his head.

"Jacob, times have changed since you were in school…hell even when I was in school!"

"If you say so."

"Jacob…"

Jacob kissed Janet before she finished what she was saying. At the same time, his hands explored her until he found what he was looking for, in the front pocket of her jeans.

"Hey!" she exclaimed reaching for her keys.

"No…I'll drive," he smiled holding the keys behind his back. " Where I'm taking you is a surprise!"

"Very well," she said narrowing her eyes at him then quickly poked him in the ribs.

"Janet!" he laughed in protest trying to avoid her hands from tickling him.

The move caused him to lose his balance and he fell backwards onto the snow covered ground. Lying there, Jacob watched as Janet laughed at him. Then he quickly yanked her down on top of him and kissed her hard.

"Hey! Don't make me get the hose out on you two!" Jack shouted from the door.

"Yeah…get a room!" Sam added giggling.

Jacob turned and glared at both of them while he and Janet rose to their feet.

"I think we've entertainment them enough, Jacob."

"You're right," he smiled pulling her towards the car.

Jacob quickly opened the passenger door for her, helping her in before hurrying around to the other side. After tossing his bag over his shoulder onto the back seat, he paused and smiled.

"What?"

"I was just remember the last time I was in your car," he smiled. "I never realized how roomy the backseat was until that night!"

Before she could respond he kissed her long and deeply. His fingers slowly brushed her cheek when he pulled away.

"We better get going," he sighed inserting the key and starting the car.

"Excellent idea!"

They remained quiet as he drove through the city and onto the highway. Even Selmak was being quiet…for once. Truth was Jacob was afraid to say too much, fearing Janet would detect his nervousness. So, he focused on the music playing softly on the radio while he drove, hoping it would relax him. After a while, Jacob felt her gaze so he turned to see her smiling at him.

"You had your hair cut," he spoke, softly touching the back of her neck. "It looks lovely."

"Thank you for noticing," she sighed as his fingers combed through her short hair. "How was San Diego?"

"Wonderful. Mark's bringing the family up next month for Christmas. It will be the first time in a long time the Carter Clan was together for Christmas. Actually, it will be the first time, with the grandkids."

"So, you're coming back for the Holidays?" she asked while trying not to sound too eager.

"Janet my love, I'm not going back to the Tok'ra until next year. I'm on vacation! Selmak hasn't had a vacation in centuries. Plus, she's never experienced Earth holiday traditions; she's looking forward to them. I want to spend as much time with you and Cassie before I go back too. Is that alright?"

"Of course it is. Where exactly are we going?"

"It's a surprise. And we won't be disturbed. I registered us under a false name. And no one knows where we're going!"

"What about the cell phone you're required to carry in case of an interplanetary emergency?"

"Sitting on the kitchen table at Sam's house," he smiled. "I have mine…but it's turned off. Yours?"

"In my bag…I turned it off too."

An unanticipated hand slide onto his thigh. It caused the car to lurch forward briefly when his foot accidentally pressed hard onto the gas pedal. Jacob turned to see Janet's face, her sweet smile melted into an evil grin.

"You seem tense," she grinned.

"I'm not tense," he said nervously gripping the steering wheel with both hands tightly.

Jacob's eyes narrowed as he focused on the rode. His mind, absorbing the song playing on the radio. He recognized the song and tried to concentrate on the words. Anything to keep the car steady on the road while Janet's hand was wandering.

_I can't stop this feeling, deep inside of me._

_Girl you just don't realize what you do to me._

_When you hold me in your arms so tight._

_You let me know, everything's alright._

_I, I'm hooked on a feeling._

_High on believing that you're in love with me!_

Quickly glancing down, he noticed the speedometer was five miles faster than the speed limit and climbing as his pant zipper was slowly coming down.

'Maybe you should ask her now,' Selmak suggested.

'Take a nap Selmak!'

'It was just a suggested. She seems to be in a good mood…stay in your lane Jacob.'

'Oh God that feels good!'

'Jacob! Watch out for that TRUCK!'

Jacob jerked the wheel slightly moving the car back into the center lane.

'Thanks!' Jacob told Selmak while refocusing his attention on the road.

"Are you ok Jacob?" Janet asked.

"Fine!" he smiled quickly.

"How much longer until we get to where ever we're going?" she asked even as he felt her hand slip inside his pants.

"Twenty minutes," he answered after he cleared his throat.

'Selmak…'

'Yes, Jacob?'

'Take a long nap!'

Looking down at the speedometer again, Jacob pushed the speed up making Janet laugh.

"Now how long?"

"Ten minutes!" he replied making Janet laugh even harder.

"Should I stop?"

"Might be a good idea. I want us to get there in one piece!"

"Ok, I'll behave," she smiled fixing his zipper. "For now!"

Jacob smiled then turned the radio off.

"Why did you do that?" she asked. "I liked that song."

"It was over anyway," he sighed glancing at her.

The sign showed the exit in three miles, so Jacob slowed the car and moved into the slow lane. With no traffic in front of him for miles he took a long look at Janet. She was looking forward and didn't notice him staring at her.

"Janet," he whispered making her turn to him.

Keeping an eye on the road, he gently touched her face and lips with his fingers.

"_Lips are sweet as candy, the taste stays on my mind._

_Girl you keep me thirsting for another cup of wine._

_I got it bad for you girl, but I don't need a cure._

_I'll just stay addicted and hope I can endure._

_All the good love when we're all alone._

_Keep it up girl, yeah you turn me on._

_I, I'm hooked on a feeling_

_I'm high on believing that you're in love with me!"_

"Jacob…I didn't know you can sing," she smiled kissing his hand. "From the way Selmak was acting, she made it sound like you couldn't sing at all."

"Actually, **she** can't sing…I think she's jealous because I can," he said exiting the highway.

"So…are you going to tell me where we're going now?"

"There," he pointed.

"I've heard of this place," she smiled. "Some suites have Jacuzzi hot tubs…"

"Big beds!" he interrupted.

"What?"

"Big beds! I'm sorry Janet, that bed you have is too small. There's barely enough room for us to lie together, let alone make love to each other. Don't worry, I got one of the suites with the hot tub and the big bed!"

"Funny, you weren't complaining when we did it in the back seat of my car."

"Honey, it doesn't matter where I make love to you," he smiled pulling the car into a parking space in front of a suite. "I'm just saying I prefer a big bed, so if I roll over I'm not dropping you on the floor."

"You did manage to keep me from falling completely off the bed," she said as he turned the car off.

"What kind of gentleman would I be if I did let you hit the floor?" he asked pulling the key to their room out of his pocket.

"You're right…a big bed it is," she smiled snatching he key from him then quickly got out of the car.

"Janet! The bags!" he called to her when she was already at the door of their suite.

"Later…get in here now!" she ordered pointing through the opened door.

"Yes ma'am!" he said saluting her.

"Double time it mister!" she snapped when he was slowly locking the car doors.

Jacob smiled, purposely taking his time. Only Janet was having none of it. She grabbed him by the front of his pants and yanked him into their room, quickly closing and locking the door. He didn't mind getting pushed around this way. In fact, he allowed her to push him across the room and onto the bed.

"So…are you going to rip my shirt off again?" he asked eagerly while she was taking one of his shoes off. "Because…I would be ok with that."

One shoe was quickly tossed aside, followed by the other shoe. Then his socks went in another direction.

"Can I start taking your clothes off now?" he asked sitting up.

He was roughly shoved back down. Janet gave him that evil grin of hers again as she straddled him.

"Ok…so, I'll just lay here…doing nothing then," he smiled watching her hand unzipping his jacket.

"Jacob," she whispered.

"Yes?"

"Be quiet," she ordered while she began unbuttoning his shirt.

"Sorry," he whispered. "I'm just a little excited."

"Yeah…I noticed!"

"I haven't seen you in three weeks"

"I know, Jacob! I missed you too! Now be quiet…or else!"

Jacob couldn't resist asking, "Or else what?"

Janet immediately started tickling his sides making him laugh uncontrollably. However, Jacob knew she would do just that. He found it a convenient way of slowly getting her out of her own clothes. And it would have worked if she weren't on to him.

"Ok! I give up!" he laughed hard. "I give up!"

Looking up at her, Jacob wondered if he should ask her. The only clothes still on him were his pants and the ring was still safely secured in the pocket. However, that idea was quickly laid to rest when his pants came off and were sent crash landing somewhere on the floor. No use following their trajectory, Janet quickly removing her clothes was far more tempting to watch.

'Oh, well. I'll ask her later…much…much later,' he thought to himself taking her in his arms.

* * *

They were only kissing as their passion died down. Selmak didn't see any harm in accessing Jacob's memories for the past several hours. She could easily do it without ever arousing his attention. It wouldn't be the first time she was awake during her host's pillow talk without him being aware of it either. 

She learned that Jacob still had not asked Janet the big question. But Selmak wasn't worried. She also learned that all Jacob's nervous energy had been channeled into his lovemaking. Although, from his memories, she could see he had been close to asking the question on several occasions. There was the time on the bed except Janet foiled that plan by taking off his pants. Then there was the time in the jacuzzi tub when he was gently scrubbing her legs, only something else came up. Or the room service at three in the morning, only Jacob decided he wanted his dessert first.

But now that he was completely satiated, for the time being, Selmak knew Jacob was going to finally ask. Even as he was kissing Janet, his thoughts were pondering how to pose the question. Each scenario made Selmak want to scream at him: Just as the fucking question you idiot! Only she couldn't, then he would know she was awake. And she didn't want to miss the look on Janet's face when Jacob showed her the ring.

The ring wasn't too extravagant. Jacob didn't like Selmak's suggestion when she pointed out the huge rock diamond. He politely reminded her that he worked for the US Government and couldn't afford that kind of ring, even with his two star General salary. Mark had helped his father pick out a ring that was simple, yet eloquent. The band was solid gold. The diamond was small but masterfully cut and displayed so almost the entire diamond was exposed for one's viewing.

Jacob had been skeptical when he first examined the ring, thinking the diamond could easily be broken off. Only the gentleman behind the counter assured Jacob that it was hand crafted and would last long until his grandchildren had grandchildren of their own. If the gentleman had been as young as Mark, Jacob or Selmak wouldn't have believed him. Only this man was at most twenty years older than Jacob and had obviously lived life and love it too it's fullest, so Jacob handed over his Gold Card and bought the ring.

Selmak had been so excited then that she could barely contain herself. And now, she was equally bursting with anticipation. Only she refrained from whistling and cheering, or flapping her little flippers. And she watched quietly from the corner of her host's mind, making sure to keep all her thoughts to herself. She was not going to miss this…not for the world! Not for the universe!

"Penny for your thought?" Jacob asked looking down at Janet.

'Really Jacob, what kind of question is that? From the ear to ear grin, she's obviously very pleased,' Selmak thought.

Janet merely kept smiling up at Jacob while her finger gently traced his lips. He kissed her finger, and then her hand before his lips returned to hers not bothering to wait for her reply. It wasn't until he was enthusiastically kissing her neck that Janet suddenly started giggling.

"Alright! Start talking!" he demanded, yet Selmak could sense Jacob's playful smile.

"I'm sorry…" Janet laughed.

"Janet, it's difficult trying to make love to you when you're laughing."

"I'm sorry Jacob. I truly am. I'm just…giddy…I guess."

"Giddy. Making love makes you giddy."

"Considering that we're at it for hours every time we make love…"

"I'm confused…"

'Really, me too,' Selmak thought to herself. 'I don't see the problem. One would think she'd be happy with his stamina!'

Selmak nearly threw her flippers up in the air to express her bewilderment. Only she didn't because she wanted to hear the doctor's explanation.

"Jacob, I thought it was because you were a werewolf that you were able to make love to me repeatedly!"

'What?' Selmak questioned ready to take over Jacob's body in an instant if Janet continued her insults.

"Oh, I see. You're giddy because you realized…you had better be careful Janet. You're insulting Selmak. And she **will** find out about this conversation."

'Thank you Jacob!' Selmak smiled to herself, making a mental note to give Jacob hugs and kisses later. 'I'll still have to give Janet a lecture! Who does she think she's dealing with here?'

"Will? What's she doing now?"

"Meditating, sleeping…during intimate moments, she gives me my privacy. Then rouses when I call her."

'Yeah, Jake gets snippy enough if I peak when he's taking a pee!' Selmak commented to herself, wishing that she didn't have to be good for so long. 'Come on Jake…ask the question!'

"If she's sleeping…how are you…"

"Able to make love to you…repeatedly?" he asked, and there was a devilish smile on his face.

"Yes," she sighed as he started kissing her neck again.

'Jacob, really…let the woman catch her breath! You've been at it all night!'

"Maybe sleeping isn't the right term," he explained in between his kisses. "A more accurate description would be that our thoughts are disconnected. Then later our thoughts merge back together and she learns about everything that happened. It's kind of like blending only not as intense as that first time. But Selmak's able to take multitask to a whole new level, even when I'm making love to you. That's why I can make love to you over and over, never having to worry about getting you pregnant!"

'Oh crap…you had to bring up the fact that I'm a contraceptive! Thanks Jacob, a few less kisses for that comment. Plus, I might have to thwack you upside the brainstem, as I don't find **that** very romantic!'

Selmak almost couldn't believe Janet was responding to Jacob's affections…again!

'Wow, I guess Janet does! Woman, you put that damn pink bunny to shame. You're more like a naquadah power unit! And Jacob…well…you've been well trained! On a scale from one to ten, you're an eleven! Mental note to self: ok, he can have more hugs and kisses! He still may get a good thwack for the contraceptive comment.'

After a few more quick mental notes, Selmak allowed herself to be consumed by Jacob's sensations. She greatly enjoyed the state of euphoria that slowly built up reaching its climactic conclusion. Followed by a few tender sensations as her host's heart rate slowly began to return to normal.

'Ow…I hate it when you drop your head on the pillow like a lead weight!' she thought feeling Jacob had flopped onto his back. 'Really, sometimes I think you do it on purpose just to squish me!'

His eyes were closed. Selmak could hear his thoughts as Janet's hand slid across his chest and snuggled against him. The man really like his chest stroked.

'I wonder is that because he has more hair on his chest than his head?' she asked herself trying not to giggle too loud.

"Has she ever made a mistake?" Janet asked.

"Who?" Jacob asked opening his eyes and Selmak could see Janet was looking down at Jacob.

"Selmak, has she ever made a mistake?"

Selmak giggled to herself, 'As if!'

"Selmak…a mistake!" he laughed heartily tickling Selmak. "The day Selmak makes a mistake the whole universe would implode on itself! It will never happen! It's **impossible**!"

'Good boy! I've got you trained well into believing I never make mistakes! Extra Tok'ra treats for my lovable host! After all, I am the oldest and wisest of all the Tok'ra. Mistakes are not in my nature…I'm perfect! Modest too!'

"The universe isn't imploding Jacob," Janet said sitting up.

Selmak had to suppress a laugh. Like the universe could really implode!

"What?" her host continued.

"Unless, she did it on purpose."

"Did what?"

"Jacob…I'm **pregnant**."

'Oh shit! You had to tell him now? Oh…and he was in such a good mood! We were having sex, we were happy, we were having more sex, he was going to ask you to marry him then we would have a lot more sex…now…'

"Pregnant? Are you sure?" Jacob nervously asked.

'You heard her right…well, I better be ready. Any moment, the grouch will be back.'

"At least, I'm about ninety percent positive I'm going to have a baby."

Selmak mentally covered her head with her flippers and awaited the emotional bombardment.

"Only ninety percent?" he asked.

And Selmak was still waiting with her eyes tightly closed, pretending to be asleep.

"I didn't have time to get the lab results before we left. But I have all the symptoms and I used one of those over the counter pregnancy te…"

Selmak was perplexed. There was no yelling at her. No abusive name-calling. No four letter words in Jacob's language or her own. Selmak slowly opened her eyes and was surprised. Jacob was…he was actually excited! He was a little nervous too. But mainly he was really excited, he was kissing Janet's face telling her how happy he was. He even kissed Janet's belly making her giggle.

Selmak's normally gloomy, grouchy, pain in the ass host, was…bursting with joy. So much, that she couldn't help but be overwhelmed by it. So much, that she never dreamed it was possible for him to ever be this happy. And as he lay on his side propped on an elbow beside Janet, Selmak felt a huge grin on her host's face.

"Jacob, you don't think Selmak did this on purpose?" Janet asked as Jacob was gently caressing her belly.

"No, I **know **she didn't."

"May be she had a moment of weakness or was distracted!"

Jacob's laughed tickled her again.

"Selmak doesn't have moments of weakness!"

Selmak swallowed the lump in her throat. A Kleenex would have been nice to have at the moment.

"Jacob…where are you going?" Janet called.

"Just…hang on!" he replied quickly kissing her.

Selmak quietly watched as Jacob searched the clothes scattered on the floor.

'I know you're awake in there!' he said startling her as he picked up his pants. 'You don't have to be afraid…it's not your fault Janet got pregnant. I take full responsibility. That day I sensed Janet was a werewolf…I just lost control. It was unfair to put that pressure on you.'

Selmak's was flabbergasted. She was so sure he was going to be angry with her for Janet getting knocked up. But what he didn't realize is that Janet was already pregnant…or well, it was only a couple of days apart…he'll never know. And what he doesn't know won't hurt him…or her.

'Are you going to say something?'

'Jacob, I humbly except your apology!' she quickly said, perhaps a little too quickly and with too much sugar on it.

'Actually…congratulations is what came to mind,' he sighed but she could sense he was wondering why she accepted his apology so quickly.

'Jacob, your joy is my joy. If becoming a father again has made you this happy, then I'm proud to be a part of it. Just remember, it's Auntie Sel…I'm not a grandma despite of my age.'

'Deal,' he said pulling the ring out of his pants.

'You have nothing to fear now…except dirty diapers. I'll have to give you a few pointers!'

Jacob laughed out loud concealing the ring in his fist and climbing back under the covers.

"What's so funny?" Janet asked.

"**Auntie Sel** is going to give me pointers on changing diapers! Really, I'm a two star General. I've handled hell on this planet and others, I think I can manage to change a baby's diaper."

"Well, after that line of crap, I'm holding **Auntie** Sel to her word! Even if she has to clean the diaper herself!"

Selmak giggle.

"Seriously Janet…"

'Oh…make sure you're looking into her eyes. And hold her hand.'

'Any last minute pointers or can I just ask the question?'

'Right…sorry!'

"Janet, I arranged this little get together…well because…"

'Just ask the question silly!' Selmak shouted. "OR I WILL!'

'I AM!' he growled back.

"Jacob?"

"Sorry, Selmak's trying to give me pointers instead of letting me just ask the question."

"Question?" Janet asked, keeping her self covered with the sheet as she sat up.

"Janet, I love you," he said opening his hand before her.

Janet gasped. Tears formed in her eyes. Jacob was surprisingly calm. And Selmak held her breath as he **finally** asked the question.

"Janet Fraiser, will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

Selmak nearly sighed, it was almost perfect…though Jacob could have been a little more romantic. Some candlelight with soft violin music would have been nice. Or perhaps clothes, the couple could have at least had some form of clothing on. Oh well, perhaps where and how isn't as important as when. And Jacob did pick a wonderful moment to pose his question.

"Jacob!" Janet gasped covering her mouth.

Selmak giggle.

"Jacob…I don't know what to say?"

'What!'

'Selmak…shh!'

"Janet, if you'll have me as your husband, it's either yes…or..."

By the way Janet was kissing Jacob, Selmak knew the answer was yes. Janet's hand even trembled slightly as he slipped the ring on her finger.

"But…how are we going to make it work?" Janet asked as they snuggled in each other's arms.

"Shh, I thought I was the pessimist?" he countered.

"Jacob…"

"Janet, Selmak has a plan. I'll admit, it will have to take place a lot sooner than we wanted now because of the baby."

'I have a plan? What plan would that be Jacob?'

'Get working on it! I'm not going to make the same mistakes this time!'

"But…"

"Janet, don't worry," he smiled caressing her face. "I only want you to worry about taking care of our baby. I'm going to be here for you and the baby, no matter what. Understand?"

"Yes, General!"

They started kissing again. Which meant it was time for Selmak to do some meditating. The two vary rarely just kissed, it always led caressing then making love. The two sometimes didn't care where they were doing it as long as they were alone.

'I hope she only has one baby,' Selmak said to herself. 'He'll blame me for **sure** if she has a litter!'

'A litter!' Jacob exclaimed.

'Oops!' Selmak said, not realizing her thoughts were too loud.

'Oops? What do you mean? Oops? Selmak, is there something you're not telling me?' Jacob asked nervously.

"Jacob…"

"Janet…when do you get those test results?" he quickly asked.

"I can call anytime today…why?" she asked smiling up at him.

"Will you be able to tell…to tell how many babies we'll be having?"

"Of course…why?"

'Wolves can have up to **six** pups,' Selmak sniggered.

"Jacob?"

"Selmak, says wolves can have up to six pups," he swallowed nervously.

Selmak did her best to not laugh. The looks on their faces! They were terrified. However, Selmak did burst into a hearty laugh when Jacob grabbed the phone and made Janet call for her lab results!


	11. Afterwards

This was purely for fun! And for those dying to know how many pups/babes Jacob and Janet ended up having! Enjoy!

* * *

18 months later….

Janet pulled into the drive way with a smile on her face. It was the end of a long busy day. No life threatening injuries, but enough was going on to keep her staff working nonstop throughout the day. She was greatly looking forward to coming home. For one thing, her husband was home. It was always a pleasure to come home when he wasn't on a mission or stuck working late at the base filling out mission reports.

Thankfully, those occasions were rare. Jacob did his best to make sure his job wasn't interfering with his family life. A hard lesson learned with the loss of his first wife. He had even considered separating from Selmak, if it was the only way to stay on Earth. Though he had brought the issue up, Janet saw the look in Jacob's face when he said it. Separating from Selmak would be like asking him to cut his heart out. It would never happen. She was a part of him, always.

Besides, Selmak was not going to miss out on being a part of the family either. She managed to convince the Tok'ra High Council that the Tau'ri were too much of a danger to themselves and others in their gallivanting about the universe. That it would be prudent for the Tok'ra keep an eye on them. To have someone be a guide and make sure they didn't blow themselves up with new technologies they insisted on acquiring. And since Selmak was the oldest and wisest, it made sense that it be a task for her. Of course she left out that her host was getting married, his future bride was pregnant, and both symbiote and host were looking forward to working from Earth with their own SG team.

That had been a little less than 18 months ago. Sometimes Janet couldn't believe everything that's happened. Everything had happened so fast during that month, following the night that Janet told Jacob she was pregnant and he had asked her to marry him. Jacob and Selmak became a permanent part of the SGC. They planned their small wedding. Made plans to buy a bigger house…and bed. And Jacob was so excited about becoming a father and a husband again. His excitement was contagious and he was barely able to contain it. Even Cassie was all caught up in the excitement of becoming a big sister. Janet barely managed to convince Jacob to hold off telling everyone about the wedding and the pregnancy, at least until Mark and his family arrived for the holidays.

So, with the Carter clan and close friends present at Janet's house on Christmas Eve, Jacob made the announcement about the wedding, which was to be on New Year's Eve. Both Janet and Jacob quickly received everyone's blessings. Then Jacob dropped the bomb about Janet being pregnant. Janet remembered the look on his face, the pure pride he showed when he smiled at her and the tears in his eyes when he told everyone. That day had been one of the happiest days in her life.

Only the day of the delivery wasn't so easy for Janet. First of all her husband was a nervous wreck and could barely drive to them to the base. And Selmak wasn't helping him out because she was way too excited. Second, Daniel's friend Gabriel had returned to ensure everything was going well. The idea that something could go wrong terrified Janet more than any name suggestions by Colonel O'Neill. Third, the deliver itself was long and painful.

Jacob never did leave her side during the full twenty hours of labor though. Despite all the mean names Janet had called Jacob during the most intense stage of labor, he remained with her never letting go of her hand. Even during the delivery, when she threatened his life and vital parts of his anatomy, he calmly told her that he loved her and that she didn't mean what she was saying. Only after the entire ordeal was over, did she take every harsh word back and tell him that she that loved him but that she was not ever going through it again...ever!

"I'm home!" she announced closing the front door behind her and setting the car keys on the small table by the staircase.

There was a note from Cassie. She was at a friend's house studying and Jacob was upstairs taking a nap. Janet smiled, although Jacob was now Cassie's father, she still called him Jacob. But he didn't mind one bit. He never wanted Cassie to feel uncomfortable. Besides she was just happy with being Sam's little sister and now a big sister.

Upstairs Janet crept slowly into the nursery, only to find it was deserted. Moving down the hall into the bedroom she found Jacob. Lying on his back with his hands clasped on his chest. He appeared to be sleeping, lying there on one half of their king size bed. Beside him were the little devils with angelic faces, as their father often calls them. They were side by side sleeping on the other half of the bed with the pillows set up so the babies wouldn't roll off the bed.

Janet smiled, remembering the look on Jacob face when they first saw the ultrasound of the twins. During that moment, it finally dawned on Jacob exactly what they were getting into. He was nervous at first until a test told them more about the twins. Much to Jacob's delight, and his big ego, they were paternal twins. A fact he pointed out, repeatedly to anyone who would listen. Until one night, Janet finally had enough and kicked him in the shin under the dinner table at their favorite restaurant.

Of course, Janet instantly regretted kicking Jacob that night. If he had been hurt emotionally or physically he never let it show. He merely smiled at her and apologized, like he had done on so many occasions when her emotions got the better of her. But in that instance, she came to realize just how much of the emotion roller coaster of hers he had been forced to endure. And she was only midway through the second term!

Still, that night ended up being very special for the both of them. After she kicked him and apologized, they went home to be alone together. There, Janet laid in Jacob's arms on the couch while they listened to Wagner's Tristan and Isolde. It was in that moment of togetherness that they named their girls.

First born was Annie Samantha Carter. Annie was the name of Janet's grandmother. Janet always wanted her first-born daughter to be named after her grandmother. The woman did raise her; it was the least Janet could do to honor her. Samantha was also Janet's idea; Sam was her best friend and maid of honor at the wedding, it was only fitting.

Annie had her mother's soft brown eyes and light brown hair. But she had her father's scowl when she didn't get what she wanted. She was just as stubborn as her daddy was too, crying until she either got what she wanted or until she fell asleep. And she usually cried all the time unless mommy was holding her, quite the opposite of her sister.

Little Sarah Marie Carter only cried if her diaper needed to be changed or if she was hungry. Her name was Allison's middle name. Jacob felt he needed to honor his first wife and her children. It was his way of making sure he would be a better husband and father this time around. Marie was Janet's middle name. He wanted to honor his current wife too.

Sarah was so tiny when she was born; she terrified Jacob when he first held her. But then Sarah did something so rare for a newborn. She smiled at her daddy as he was holding her. It was her mother's smile. It made him cry and laugh at the same time. Little Sarah was definitely daddy's little girl, with jet-black hair and her daddy's eyes. As soon as she was mobile she followed him everywhere. No matter what obstacle was in her way she could get by it or around it. For Sarah, her size was never a problem.

Janet gently pulled the blanket over her little girls then moved around to the other side of the bed. Looking down at him she smiled, softly touching the new scar on his forehead without waking him. The scar was almost in the exact same spot as the old one. Janet was grateful for everyday they had together since he received this new scar because she nearly lost him.

One night, during the eight month of Janet's pregnancy, Jacob headed out for one of her cravings. It was a Monday night. There was no traffic. Except for one dumb ass who was blitzed beyond reason and could stand let alone drive a car. Jacob reacted to the car too late, not expecting anyone to run his or her red light. The car Jacob was in rolled onto its topside from the impact. Somehow Selmak managed to call Sam before losing consciousness to begin healing Jacob's injuries.

Janet nearly went into labor when General Hammond, Colonel O'Neill and Daniel suddenly showed up at her house. First thing out of their mouths was that Jacob was ok and that he was in good hands and on route to the SGC with Sam in an Airforce Hospital ambulance. But Janet didn't believe them until she saw Jacob with her own eyes. It took two days for Selmak to repair the damage. Only the little sentimental snake left the mark of Jacob's forehead saying it was part of the Jacob Carter mystique. And Janet never had those cravings again.

Janet leaned to down and kissed Jacob gently on his lips. At first, there was not response. Then his senses awakened and he eagerly returned her kiss.

"Hmm…someone had a good day!" he smiled, gently pulling her down on him.

Janet kissed him again, long and hard.

"You must have had a really good day! That or you're feeling frisky!"

"A little of both," she sighed, moving to lie on her side between him and the babies.

"What did the doctor say?" he asked cupping her body with his.

"Everything's fine," she replied feeling his hand caressing her rounded belly. "On schedule with four months to go. How were they today?"

"Oh, they were little angels!" he said sarcastically. "It took me all afternoon to get them down for their nap!"

They were quiet, both just watching the babes sleep. They had many moments as this, merely enjoying each other's body warmth and tenderness. Janet loved the way he caressed her belly when she was pregnant. It was always soothing and relaxing the way he did it. A trick he said he learned from Selmak.

"Did you…" she started, quickly holding his hand still on one part of her belly.

"Yeah, I felt him," Jacob chimed in. "Strong boy!"

"And already a pain in the ass like his daddy! I swear, he must know when I have to pee really badly because that's when he likes to kick my bladder…repeatedly!"

"At least you don't have that morning sickness anymore. I hated seeing everything you ate come right back up. I always felt so helpless and guilty."

"Guilty?"

"You are carrying my baby! I am somewhat responsible for your condition!"

"Somewhat!" she scoffed turning around, straddling him then pinning him down on his back

"Janet, I told you. This baby was Selmak's idea…mostly. I had been sitting there feeding the girls, while you were there helping Cassie with her homework. I suddenly realized that I was the only male in the house. Not that I'm complaining about that! But I was feeling outnumbered. Selmak picked up on it and went from there."

"So, that day in my office…"

"Selmak…I was there with the intention of taking you to lunch, honest! In fact, we were talking about having Sam baby sit so we could go to the Opera, remember?"

"I remember you suddenly closing and locking the door."

"Selmak made some chemical adjustments or something, all of sudden I was horny! I had to have you."

"You did! Three times on my couch!"

"Funny, you weren't complaining at the time!"

"No, I wouldn't either," she smiled, sitting back and resting her hands on her belly. "But the next time Selmak decides we need a baby, she better consult me about it! I am the alpha female of this family! And I'm the one who has to carry the baby to term. Do you hear me Selmak?"

"She heard, she says she's sorry."

"She better. Otherwise…no sex!"

"It won't come to that! Selmak promises to be on her best behavior! And just to be certain, I'll go to the drug store and buy a couple of boxes of condoms! I am not giving up making love with my wife!"

A high pitch squeal of excitement caught their attention and both turned to see Sarah sitting up. She immediately climbed onto her daddy's chest. She held on to his shirt as he sat up. Annie was quick to wake up and join her sister.

Janet moved aside, sitting nearby on their bed and just watched with a big smile on her face. Jacob was really enjoying fatherhood this time around. He was a loving and affectionate father. Sometimes a little rambunctious with the girls but he loved to play with them. Janet often found him crawling around on the floor making the girl's squeal in delight as they chased him or vice versa. Of course it helped not having any of the anxieties he had when he was younger. Plus he had Selmak to keep him in line.

"I'm home…are you guys decent in there?"

"Come in Cassie," Janet called to her daughter.

"You're home early," Jacob said looking at the clock and keeping Sarah from trying to climb off the bed making baby noise in protest.

"Yeah, I finished my homework early and walked home," she replied sitting beside her mom as Annie came crawling over.

"Cassie, you should have called…I would have picked you up," Jacob said.

"Jacob, Emily's house is only six blocks away," Cassie smiled taking her little noisy sister onto her lap.

"Still…" Jacob frowned, holding Sarah close to his chest.

"Jacob?" Janet asked, never seeing that kind of intense worried look on his face before.

"I just worry…times have changed so much since Mark and Sam were little. So many horrible things happening to kids…I don't even like watching the news anymore."

Janet watched as Cassie got up, leaving Annie to her mother's care. She went around to Jacob.

"Ok…dad. Next time, I promise I'll call you," Cassie said giving him a hug and kiss. "I'll get started on dinner."

"We'll be down shortly honey," Janet smiled watching Cassie leave the room.

"Jacob? What's wrong?" Janet asked moving to sit by him.

"That was the first time she call me dad," he smiled trying not to cry.

"Why are you crying?"

"I don't know…I think Selmak's messing around with some of the chemicals in my head," he said then suddenly winced as if someone smacked the back of his head.

"I take it she didn't like that theory."

"No! She said to quit using her as an excuse."

Janet laughed. Her poor husband couldn't get away with anything anymore. Not with Selmak keeping him in line and Janet there to push him around.

"Da!" Sarah's voice shouted at him.

"Did you hear that? Her first word!" he said excitedly, holding Sarah so he could see her face. "Say it again…come on!"

"Jacob, are you sure it was a word?"

"You're just jealous," he smiled making Janet roll her eyes.

"Da! Da!" Sarah chirped at him.

"See!" he exclaimed.

"Da! Da!" Annie chimed in, not to be outdone by her smaller sister.

Janet shook her head as Jacob grinned from ear to ear holding both his girls on his lap.

"Great! Now you're ego will be so huge, you won't fit through the Gate! I better call General Hammond and tell him to cancel you mission tomorrow!"

"That's a good idea! I'll call in sick!"

"Jacob…" Janet laughed. "You don't get sick anymore!"

"But I have sick days. I don't get paid for them unless I use them. By my calculations, I still have loads of them…I intend on using them. Now, hand me the phone!"

"What do you want to call in sick for?" Janet asked reaching across the bed for the phone.

"Janet, really. What do you think? You're off the next two days and Cassie will be away at school during the daytime," he said taking the phone.

"Jacob, I'm pregnant!"

"Didn't stop you before," he smiled devilishly. "In fact I remembering you corning me in the shower when you were four months pregnant with the girls."

"But what are you going to tell Hammond?" she asked taking Annie into her arms. "I doubt he'll believe you're sick."

Jacob slowly smiled, then said, "Sympathy pains?"

"Jacob!"

"Janet it's either that or I tell him the truth! That we're going to have sex for many hours during the day, tomorrow!"

Janet watched him reposition the girls in his arms so he could dial the number.

"Hey!" Jacob protested when she snatched the phone from him.

"He'll believe me if I tell him!" she smiled dialing Hammond's number. "He knows you too well!"

Jacob smiled shrugging his shoulders.

"I love you Janet Fraiser," he whispered kissing her cheek and caressing her belly. "Thank you for this baby and these two beautiful girls."

"I love you too Jacob Carter," she sighed. "And you are very…very welcome!"


End file.
